Summary:
⚈ Kiyosaki-backed cattle ETF rose 19.18% year-to-date, breaking 2014 record
⚈ Price surge driven by drought, inflation, high rates, and screwworm outbreak
Robert Kiyosaki is well-known for promoting gold, silver, and Bitcoin (BTC). But on May 13, one of his more overlooked preferred assets, Cattle, hit a new all-time high. The famed investor first voiced his preference for livestock – Wagyu to be precise – in a Kitco News interview published on February 22, 2023,
Live Cattle Jun ’25 (LEM25) futures surged to $216.83, marking the highest price on record. Prior to this rally, the contract’s previous peak hovered around $170 in 2014 and 2015.
Wisdom Tree’s Cattle exchange-traded fund (LSE: CATL), has also been rising and is 19.18% in the green in 2025. Furthermore, at its current price of $8.56, CATL is above its late 2014 highs of $8.38, and is more than halfway from its 2020 lows to its absolute highs at $11.10.
Why cattle prices are hitting record highs in 2025
The factors that turned cattle futures and ETFs into highly lucrative investments haven’t been altogether positive.
The rally in cattle prices stems from a mix of inflation, climate pressure, and macroeconomic conditions. Since 2020, persistent droughts have reduced supply, while rising feed costs and high interest rates have made production and borrowing more expensive for ranchers.
Most recently, an emerging imbalance between supply and demand has been playing a role, as an infestation of flesh-eating New World Screwworm forced the Agriculture Department to restrict imports on America’s southern border.
Such a rise has led investors to pay closer attention to agricultural commodities: something Kiyosaki has championed alongside metals and BTC.
