Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures weakened on Wednesday as quiet trade on the cash market fortified concerns about light demand, traders said.
Hog futures were narrowly mixed, with short-covering providing support, while worries that a firm U.S. dollar will chill export demand for pork added pressure.
Benchmark CME October live cattle futures settled down 0.8 cent at 144.25 cents per lb, with December also off 0.8 cent, at 150.075 cents.
CME October feeder cattle dropped 2.15 cents to close at 183.95 cents per lb.
CME October lean hogs dipped 0.025 cent to 91.075 cents per lb, while December hogs gained 0.1 cent to close at 83.6 cents per lb.
In the U.S. wholesale beef market, choice cuts rose $1.73 to $262.22 per hundredweight (cwt) by Wednesday morning. Select cuts were 17 cents lower at $239.13 per cwt, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA priced pork carcasses at $102.88 per cwt on Wednesday morning, down $1.45 from Tuesday afternoon. (Reporting by Mark Weinraub; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
