Live cattle price today: trend, volatility and seasonality
Data updated October 13, 2026
225.68usd/lbs+0.79% today
Live cattle last traded at 225.68 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 over five years (start = 100)
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 225.68 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.