Later reports suggested they (Saudi forces) foiled the (attack) attempt, but you still have crude oil up over $2 a barrel.

233

That may offer some price support, and possibly diminish the bearishness associated with the anticipated jump in placement rates.

190

With January weather being so warm, the industry probably suffered very few death losses.

189

The gold strength, as much as anything else, is technical in nature. The downward slide in the dollar from the early highs Friday morning, and the upward push in crude oil, can probably be cited for some of the strength in here.

156

It's very simple. The energy market was up real strongly. That's part of it, as people consistently make the link between crude oil prices, inflation and gold.

154

I think it was mostly upward momentum carrying over from the New York session.

153

That could mitigate the bearish impact of a surge in placement rates, since the younger animals tend to take longer to finish, which in turn implies a wider spread of exit dates (as fed cattle) for them.

128

The gold market is basically struggling to decisively overcome the $600 level. Until we see that, we may see some indecision on the part of traders on how to handle the market.

84

Of course, we don't know how the bird flu situation will turn out. But, I see no strong reasons we won't see a three to four dollar (per hundredweight) seasonal cattle rally in the first quarter.

76