# Pete's Comments: Markets in Panic Mode | Western Livestock Journal

> USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue directed the Packers and Stockyards Division to investigate beef pricing margins after the Holcomb, Kansas plant fire. The probe checks for price manipulation, collusion or unfair practices amid a sharp drop in fed cattle prices and a rise in boxed beef values.

- Date: 2019-08-29 · published 2019-08-29T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/10903-pete-s-comments-markets-in-panic-mode-western-livestock-journal
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A federal investigation into packer margins creates uncertainty for packers and can pressure fed cattle bids while the probe is open.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| FCATTLE | 2019-08-29 | 1 | -4.6% | -3.5 | On Aug 29 USDA ordered a probe of packer margins amid panic selling of cattle, which added to sentiment-driven selling pressure on feeder futures on the day of the drop. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2025-10-24 | [Cattle markets react to Argentina import talk \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6339-cattle-markets-react-to-argentina-import-talk-western-livestock-journal.md) | -1.3% | -8.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-01-09 | [Guest Opinion: Dollars don’t kill screwworms \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26452-guest-opinion-dollars-don-t-kill-screwworms-western-livestock-journal.md) | +2.2% | +5.2% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-10-23 | [Daybreak Oct. 23: Trump’s beef comments spark market volatility, alarm producers \| Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6340-daybreak-oct-23-trump-s-beef-comments-spark-market-volatility-alarm-producers.md) | -2.0% | -7.9% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-11-14 | [Did the Administration's Plan to Lower Beef Prices Wreck the Bull Run in the Cattle Market? - Drovers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6067-did-the-administration-s-plan-to-lower-beef-prices-wreck-the-bull-run-in-the.md) | -1.8% | +0.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-09-02 | [Cattle markets fall on Trump beef import plan](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17628-cattle-markets-fall-on-trump-beef-import-plan.md) | +1.1% | +1.5% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-10-24 | [Cattle markets react to Argentina import talk \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6339-cattle-markets-react-to-argentina-import-talk-western-livestock-journal.md) | -4.4% | -6.2% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-01-09 | [Guest Opinion: Dollars don’t kill screwworms \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26452-guest-opinion-dollars-don-t-kill-screwworms-western-livestock-journal.md) | +3.6% | -0.1% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-10-23 | [Daybreak Oct. 23: Trump’s beef comments spark market volatility, alarm producers \| Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6340-daybreak-oct-23-trump-s-beef-comments-spark-market-volatility-alarm-producers.md) | -4.7% | -6.4% |

## Sources

- wlj.net: https://www.wlj.net/petes-comments-markets-in-panic-mode/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.