# U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs limit down on coronavirus fears - Grainews

> U.S. livestock futures on CME plunged by daily limits on April 1, 2020 as stricter coronavirus emergency measures hit stock markets and raised recession worries. Lean hogs fell to their lowest since August 2018 after the White House extended emergency measures through April. Traders weighed burdensome meat supplies against weaker demand and supply chain disruptions.

- Date: 2020-04-01 · published 2020-04-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: macro · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/6601-u-s-livestock-cattle-hogs-limit-down-on-coronavirus-fears-grainews
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md), [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Pandemic-driven recession fears and extended lockdowns cut expected meat demand, pushing livestock futures lower and reducing near-term feed demand from feedlots and hog operations.

## Read by commodity

- SBM: neutral
- SOY: bullish ▲
- HOGS: bearish ▼
- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2020-04-02 | 5 | -19.1% | -4.9 | Lean hogs went limit down on April 1 as stricter coronavirus measures raised recession worries, hitting stock and livestock markets and depressing demand expectations. |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-05 | 5 | -9.3% | -4.3 | Cattle futures plunged by daily limits on April 1 as stricter coronavirus measures raised recession worries and hit sentiment. |
| HOGS | 2020-04-03 | 5 | -20.8% | -4.8 | Limit-down moves on April 1 after extended COVID emergency measures raised recession fears and hit demand sentiment, driving lean hogs to multi-year lows within the window. |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-06 | 5 | -11.3% | -5.0 | Limit-down plunge in cattle on April 1 as stricter COVID emergency measures raised recession fears fell within the 5-day window and directly drove the decline. |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-06 | 1 | -6.0% | -4.4 | Limit-down moves on April 1 from stricter COVID emergency measures and recession worries began the multi-day liquidation. |
| SBM | 2020-04-05 | 5 | -7.6% | -3.7 | Limit-down livestock futures and recession fears on April 1 weakened expected feed demand and risk sentiment, pressuring meal. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2020-01-31 | [Cattle markets slide on coronavirus fears \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6702-cattle-markets-slide-on-coronavirus-fears-western-livestock-journal.md) | -1.2% | -5.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-02 | [CME update: cattle futures dive on coronavirus pandemic
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6287-cme-update-cattle-futures-dive-on-coronavirus-pandemic-the-cattle-site.md) | -5.8% | -13.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-02-26 | [Cattle Markets Experience Losses Amid Coronavirus Fears
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12060-cattle-markets-experience-losses-amid-coronavirus-fears-the-cattle-site.md) | -4.2% | -8.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-06-23 | [Hog, live cattle futures fall on recession fears - CME
						 \| The Beef Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/41079-hog-live-cattle-futures-fall-on-recession-fears-cme-the-beef-site.md) | +0.6% | -0.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-03-10 | [Coronavirus affecting cattle, other markets](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54074-coronavirus-affecting-cattle-other-markets.md) | -7.3% | -10.6% |
| SOY | 2025-09-16 | [U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat futures rise as dollar sags; crop yields eyed - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6851-u-s-grains-corn-soy-wheat-futures-rise-as-dollar-sags-crop-yields-eyed-grainews.md) | -3.0% | -3.4% |
| SOY | 2020-11-09 | [U.S. grains: Soy futures touch new four-year top - Country Guide](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12429-u-s-grains-soy-futures-touch-new-four-year-top-country-guide.md) | +3.9% | +5.5% |
| SOY | 2021-07-28 | [US dollar, stocks dip as Fed keeps taper timing close to chest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45971-us-dollar-stocks-dip-as-fed-keeps-taper-timing-close-to-chest.md) | -1.8% | -5.7% |

## Sources

- bloomberg.com: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-23/china-looks-at-how-it-could-expedite-u-s-farm-goods-purchases
- grainews.ca: https://www.grainews.ca/daily/u-s-livestock-cattle-hogs-limit-down-on-coronavirus-fears-2/
- thecattlesite.com: https://www.thecattlesite.com/news/55099/cme-update-cattle-futures-sink-by-their-daily-limits-on-coronavirus-worries

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