Sooner-expiring hogs fell as traders rolled positions into later-expiring contracts, which rose. Aug hogs fell 60 to 95.20, and the October contract fell 10 to 81.32.
Feeder cattle managed a rarity: They rallied even as corn futures moved higher. Some improving cash prices after a massive six-week sell-off helped spark the gains, including moves by traders to cover short positions. A spike in corn costs has dented demand at feed yards for new young mouths to feed. Aug feeders closed up 175 to $137. Outside markets also lifted futures, including live cattle, which were helped by expectations of lower supplies in coming weeks. Aug live cattle gained 142 to $119.
US grain and soybean futures settled higher Friday, further rebounding from early-week declines, as the threat of crop losses from drought stress resurface. Forecasts projecting less chances of yield-enhancing rains for the Midwest this week served as a spark to encourage traders to add risk premium headed into the weekend. November soy closed up 34 ¼ at $16.01, December corn gained 17 to $7.93, September wheat in Chicago rose 14 to $8.98, and September wheat in KC gained 16 to $9.06.
Cotton futures are stuck in a trading range due to a lack of new fundamentals. December new crop gained 6 to 70.73, and near month October gained 5 to 70.73.
Gold futures climbed for a third-consecutive day Friday, finishing at a three-week high as the euro gained on optimism about Europe's banking crisis. August rose $2.90 to $1,618 an ounce and September silver closed at $27.49, up 5.2 cents.
Crude oil futures edged upward Friday despite mediocre U.S. financial indicators after the euro zone garnered its latest vote of confidence from key European political leaders.
Front-month crude settled at $90.13 a barrel, up 74 cents, Front-month gasoline settled at $2.88 a gallon, up 7.4 cents, and Front-month distillates settled at $2.89 a gallon, up 2.1 cents.
Natural-gas futures tumbled to their lowest settlement price of the week as traders rushed to close out contracts for August delivery before they expired at the end of session Friday. August Natural gas fell 9.5 cents to $3.01.
On Wall Street stocks rallied on Friday, driving the S&P 500 to its highest since May 4 and the Dow above 13,000 as hopes increased that the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank may provide further stimulus. The Dow gained 187 to close at 13,075, up 187, the Nasdaq closed at 2,958, up 64, and the S&P 500 gained almost 26 to finish the week at 1,385.
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