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The current assessment of the CME markets reveals a largely range-bound status, yet this doesn’t mask the underlying shifts and trends that we should be mindful of.
The CME spot butter market continues to steal the attention as prices dropped another few cents. Can this market break $2?
The dairy market experienced a notable turn of events as butter futures managed to claw back from their previous losses, caught in the wake of yesterday’s chaotic trading.
Butter plunged to a new year-to-date low, while cheese prices continue to bounce.
The big question that remains is how much of the holiday demand has already been accounted for and is that what’s eating into those inventories on top of record exports?
The combination of bullish storage data, steady production and incremental price gains paints an intriguing picture for the butter market.
The latest milk production report, which revealed an upswing in milk production marking the strongest growth in four years, the dairy futures have responded in kind with a downturn
Across the board, Class III traded lower with the vast majority of the day’s volume focused in the September and October 2025 contracts.
While spot block prices experienced a marginal increase, giving a push to cheese futures, Class III prices didn’t fare as well.
Class III futures through the rest of 2024 continued to decline, with the November contract down 27 cents to $22.61 per hundredweight.
Grain futures continue to drop with nearby contracts breaking through key levels.
July Class III futures rose today to $19.87 per hundredweight, gaining 12 cents.
U.S. milk production dropped 0.9% year-over-year in May.
It was another day of green in the cheese market. CME spot prices pushed higher, with block values reaching the highest level since August 2023.
Class III milk finished the day mostly unchanged with June down a penny at $19.77 and July up 7 cents to $20.60.