Live cattle price today: trend, volatility and seasonality
Data updated October 13, 2026
225.05usd/lbs+0.19% today
Live cattle last traded at 225.05 usd/lbs (close of October 13, 2026), down 3.3% year to date and down 6.6% over twelve months.
It is in a downtrend: both the price and its 50-day average are below the 200-day average, with the price 5.0% below that average.
Over the past 52 weeks it has ranged between 206.55 and 257.45; today's price sits at 36% of that range.
One-month volatility is 15% annualised, close to the middle of its historical range, and the largest fall from a high in the last year was 18.4%.
Returns by period
- 1W
- +1.5%
- 1M
- +2.3%
- 3M
- −2.9%
- 6M
- −11.1%
- Year to date
- −3.3%
- 1Y
- −6.6%
- 3Y
- —
- 5Y
- —
Spot price changes, close to close. They do not include the roll cost or carry of futures, which is what commodity ETFs earn.
Live cattle price over five years
Trend and risk
- Trend (50/200-day)
- Downtrend
- vs 200-day average
- −5.0%
- RSI (14 days)
- 60
- Momentum 12-1
- −8.7%
- Volatility 1M
- 14.8%
- Volatility 1Y
- 17.9%
- Max drawdown 1Y
- −18.4%
- 52-week range position
- 36%
Futures positioning (CFTC COT)
Managed money (hedge funds and CTAs) held a net long position of 50,695 contracts in Live cattle (17.3% of open interest), near the most short of the past year. MEDGE reads this as “crowded short”. Report of October 6, 2026.
Live cattle COT report: positions, history and what followed extremes →
Questions
How has live cattle performed this year?
As of October 13, 2026, Live cattle is −3.3% year to date and −6.6% over the last twelve months, at 225.05 usd/lbs.
Is live cattle above its 200-day moving average?
No: the price is 5.0% below its 200-day average of 236.56. With the 50-day average also below it, the trend reads as down.
How volatile is live cattle?
Its one-month volatility is 14.8% annualised and one-year volatility 17.9%. Current volatility is at the 46th percentile of all one-month windows in the available history.
Are hedge funds long or short live cattle?
Managed money (hedge funds and CTAs) held a net long position of 50,695 contracts in Live cattle (17.3% of open interest), near the most short of the past year. Figures from the CFTC Commitments of Traders report of October 6, 2026.
Related
Source: MarketStack commodity prices; CFTC Commitments of Traders (Disaggregated, futures only). Figures are historical and descriptive; they are not forecasts and not investment advice. MEDGE Capital does not recommend buying or selling any instrument. Risk disclaimer.