Lean hog futures settled higher for the third trading session out of the past four, according to data from FactSet. Hogs close up 1.6% to 98.6 cents a pound. Carcass cutout prices were reported as higher yesterday, as well as at midday today. In the midday report, the USDA says that average carcass cutout prices rose 53 cents a pound to $96.24 per cwt. Additionally, the USDA reported an uptick in weekly pork export sales today, with 37,600 metric tons sold for delivery in 2026. That's up 44% from the prior week. Live cattle futures fell 1.2% to $2.39025 a pound, even after the USDA reported a marketing-year high in export sales for the week. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)