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A WLJ column recounts how live cattle futures fell after March 25, 2024 reports of H5N1 in US dairy herds and a human infection. The April live cattle contract dropped 830 points by April 1 after a Texas farm worker tested positive.
The author notes that no beef cattle have been found infected.
The futures drop reflected disease fear rather than actual infection in beef cattle, so the risk premium may be unwarranted. If beef is confirmed safe, the price pressure could ease and support cattle values.
wlj.netSteve Kay, WLJ columnistMay 3, 2024After 69 past neutral disease events, LCATTLE moved a median -0.1% over 5 sessions (42% higher; middle half -0.8% to +0.6%), and +0.9% over 20.
Moves of each commodity's benchmark from the last close before the event. Historical reads pool past events of the same kind; they describe what happened, not what will. Not investment advice.
