Futures Data

I would like to share some useful statistics that are hard to collect and hope these data can encourage research in futures markets.

Price limit days in agricultural futures markets

  • Price limit is one of the ways that exchanges would use to monitor trading activities, especially extreme price movements. In the agricultural futures markets, CME has implemented different price limit schedules.
  • A common characteristic is that price limits would “lock” markets when limit prices are reached. It does not mean markets are halted and no trades can occur, like circuit breakers. In fact, trades can still be executed unless only for one side. Specifically, selling during limit-up days and buying during limit-down days.
  • CME revises the limit prices routinely according to market conditions and the limit price range can be expandable after the day when price limits are triggered. In 2014 (2015), CME implemented expandable price limits to 4.5 cents/lb. in live cattle (lean hog) futures markets once standard limit criterion is reached.
  • (Examples) Price limit events in live cattle outright futures markets during 2015 to 2019 (1st–4th nearby).
DateContractHigh LimitLow LimitDay
2015-01-27LEG5152.83146.83limit_up
2015-01-27LEJ5151.00145.00limit_up
2015-02-06LEJ5151.03145.03limit_up
2015-02-06LEM5144.25138.25limit_up
2015-02-13LEJ5154.13148.13limit_up
2017-04-26LEQ7115.05109.05limit_up
2017-04-27LEG8117.78111.78limit_up
2017-04-27LEJ8116.65110.65limit_up
2017-04-27LEM7121.53115.53limit_up
2017-05-02LEM7127.13121.13limit_up
2017-05-03LEM7130.05124.05limit_up
2017-05-04LEM7134.55125.55limit_up
2017-06-01LEQ7124.70118.70limit_up
2017-07-12LEZ7118.33112.33limit_up
2017-08-15LEZ7111.80105.80limit_up
2017-10-30LEG8128.75122.75limit_up
2017-11-03LEG8131.75125.75limit_up
2018-02-01LEJ8125.93119.93limit_up
2018-04-04LEM8102.6396.63limit_up
2018-05-21LEM8105.4099.40limit_up
2018-06-29LEV8110.03104.03limit_up
2018-09-14LEZ8118.40112.40limit_up
2019-06-10LEQ9106.30100.30limit_up
2019-06-10LEV9107.50101.50limit_up

Click here to get the full price limit events for live cattle and lean hog.