Markets Moving into Holiday Mode 12/18/25 Cattle Chatter

The cattle market saw a $4 jump in midweek cash trade, led by strength out of the North. On this week’s Cattle Chatter, Brad Kooima with Kooima Kooima Varilek explains that the trade is already shifting its focus toward the upcoming holiday demand window. Fund participation in cattle has been notably absent, leaving cash trade somewhat sloppy as packers continue to buy hand-to-mouth to cover the next couple of weeks in what Brad describes as a “chopping wood” type of market. Boxed beef hasn’t been a runaway, but it continues to hold steady. Still, the gorilla in the room