Fat Tuesday | Cattle on a Gold Diet: When Feeders Act Like Bullion
Finance
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24m
Supply tightens even as front‑end cattle grow heavier and packers pace kills, creating a bullish medium‑term picture with choppy, risk‑heavy near‑term price action. We outline why feeder highs may persist, how data gaps from the shutdown complicate decisions, and where heifer retention is starting to take a bite.
• counter‑seasonal decline in fed slaughter and record‑low August–September marketings
• heavier carcass weights and front‑end burdens into OND
• blended cutout rally then retracement with limited upside into holidays
• feeder highs, border closures, smaller calf crops, cheaper feed costs
• Why 2014–15 comparisons fall short this cycle
• heifer retention signals and early cow herd bottoming
• government shutdown data gaps and trade flow shifts
• Brazil tariffs vs Australia/New Zealand supply
• risk management, hedging discipline, and margin awareness
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