Lean hog futures finished mostly higher as some traders covered short positions after recent losses, especially in light of building hopes for a seasonal low in pork prices. April hogs closed up 15 at 86.02, June hogs closed down 2 to 93.40.
U.S. live cattle futures closed lower Monday as concerns about building supplies added to persistent signs of soft beef demand. April live cattle fell 12 to $125, April feeders fell 95 to $153.
US wheat futures ended lower, pressured by favorable weather for the winter-wheat crop and Russia saying it won't place any restrictions on grain exports, ending expectations that it might adopt duties to boost domestic supplies. May wheat in Chicago wheat slid19 ¾ to $6.52 while May wheat in KC fell 14 to $6.91.
US corn futures ended down, pressured by a fall in wheat prices and a stalled rally in Chinese corn prices. May corn ended down 9 1/2 at $6.63.
US soybean futures ended lower on profit-taking and weak cash market prices. May soybeans ended down 7 1/2 to $13.66, May soybean oil closed down 10 to 55.40 and May soybean meal ended down $3.50 to $370.90.
ICE cotton futures settled at a seven-session high, as jumps in demand after prices fell below 90c/lb. continued to buoy prices from dips. May cotton gained 160 to 89.08, and the July contract gained 185 to 89.90.
Gold futures climbed on Monday, with the March contract gaining $11.30 to close at $1,667.10, and the March silver contract jumping .36 cents to $32.91.
U.S. crude-oil futures settled higher Monday, with trading dominated by position adjustments that suggests still-higher prices on the horizon. April crude gained $1.03 to $108.09 a barrel, April gasoline gained 1.09 cents to $3.36 a gallon, and April distillates fell 2.06 cents to $3.26 a gallon.
Natural gas futures ended higher Monday as traders took a recent drop nearly to decade lows as a chance to lock in profits. April Natural gas gained 2.5 cents to $2.35.
On Wall Street, the move from safe-haven assets to riskier equities continued on Monday, with stocks rising and Treasury bonds slumping as traders responded to generally upbeat corporate news. The Dow gained 6 to close at 13,239, the Nasdaq closed at 3,078, up 23 and the S&P 500 gained 5 ½ to close at 1,409.
