LIVESTOCK-Cattle end higher in range-bound trade; hogs finish mixed

By Julie Ingwersen

CHICAGO, June 2 (Reuters) - Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended higher on Monday in range-bound trade as brokers awaited fresh direction, while last week's firm cash cattle prices underpinned the market.

Benchmark CME August live cattle futures LCQ25 settled up 1.650 cents at 211.000 cents per pound but stayed inside of Friday's trading range. CME August feeder cattle FCQ25 ended up 2.925 cents at 301.750 cents per pound.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced choice cuts of boxed beef at $366.00 per hundredweight (cwt) on Monday afternoon, down 34 cents from Friday, but choice cuts were up $1.46 at $358.11.

Slaughter-ready cattle traded in the cash market last week in Texas and Kansas at $221 to $223 per cwt, up $1 to $3 from the previous week. Cash trade was inactive at the start of this week, the USDA said.

Monday's cattle slaughter totaled 115,000 head, down from 117,863 a year earlier. Last week's slaughter through Saturday totaled 477,000 head, down 11% from a year ago, USDA data showed. LIV/KILL

Nearby hog futures closed mixed. CME June hog futures LHM25 settled down 0.475 cent at 100.850 cents per pound while most-active July hogs LHN25 finished up 0.050 cent at 104.975 cents, after rising to 105.600, the contract's highest since mid-February.

The USDA priced pork carcasses on Monday afternoon at $106.75 per cwt, down 47 cents from Friday.