# Pandemic Injects Volatility into Cattle and Beef Markets | Farm Bureau Intel Markets | American Farm Bureau Federation

> The American Farm Bureau analysis says COVID-19 stay-at-home measures are slowing the economy and shifting spending away from restaurants. The boxed beef cutout jumped 25% in a week as panic buying hit retail demand.

- Date: 2020-03-31 · published 2020-03-31T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: macro · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/6288-pandemic-injects-volatility-into-cattle-and-beef-markets-farm-bureau-intel
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Beef's high price and reliance on food service make it vulnerable to recession-driven demand loss, which pressures cattle prices even as boxed beef spikes.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-07 | [Coronavirus Sends Crop and Livestock Prices into a Tailspin \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5743-coronavirus-sends-crop-and-livestock-prices-into-a-tailspin-farm-bureau-intel.md) | +2.8% | -4.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-21 | [Macroeconomic Volatility and Industry Specific Shocks Pressure Down Cattle Prices \| Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10657-macroeconomic-volatility-and-industry-specific-shocks-pressure-down-cattle.md) | +1.6% | -4.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-03-31 | [Cattle industry feels effects of COVID-19 pandemic](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6442-cattle-industry-feels-effects-of-covid-19-pandemic.md) | -11.3% | -16.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2018-02-05 | [Place your bet on fed cattle market](https://feedsoft.ai/events/66625-place-your-bet-on-fed-cattle-market.md) | -0.3% | -1.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-05-29 | [Cattle futures slip on fuel price demand fears - CME
						 \| The Beef Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19391-cattle-futures-slip-on-fuel-price-demand-fears-cme-the-beef-site.md) | -0.8% | +1.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2019-08-21 | [Macroeconomic Volatility and Industry Specific Shocks Pressure Down Cattle Prices \| Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10657-macroeconomic-volatility-and-industry-specific-shocks-pressure-down-cattle.md) | +1.7% | +2.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2020-03-31 | [Cattle industry feels effects of COVID-19 pandemic](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6442-cattle-industry-feels-effects-of-covid-19-pandemic.md) | -8.0% | -0.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2018-02-05 | [Place your bet on fed cattle market](https://feedsoft.ai/events/66625-place-your-bet-on-fed-cattle-market.md) | -3.1% | -3.8% |

## Sources

- fb.org: https://www.fb.org/intel/markets/pandemic-injects-volatility-into-cattle-and-beef-markets

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