Tomorrow USDA will release the monthly Cattle on Feed report. Analysts’ pre-report estimates peg the total number of cattle on feed as of 1 October at 99 percent of a year ago. The range of estimates was between 98 and 100 percent. The implied inventory of cattle on feed would be 11.6 million head.
Placements in September are forecast at 101 percent of last year. The range of estimates was wide, from 98 percent to 104 percent and showed differing opinions – i.e., both an increase and a decrease over October 2020. If placements are up, that would be the second consecutive month of increased placements year over year, even after the July cattle inventory report (which we covered here) showed the total number of calv...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
Markets are getting into the Halloween spirit, handing out more tricks than treats. There has been some encouraging news, but it hasn’t been enough to slow the broader slide. Now buyers need to show up with something other than another “Charlie Brown” rock for the bag. Somethi...
