The world’s largest meat processor JBS says they were asked to pay ransom in an alleged Russian cyber attack.
The hack forced JBS to close some plants. Experts worry this may put global food distribution at risk and wiping out nearly a fifth of America’s meat production.
JBS says it received the demand from “a criminal organisation likely based in Russia”.
The company added that the attack also affected its operations in Australia and North America. However, JBS said the attack didn’t impact its backup servers.
The attack on JBS forced the shutdown of some of the world’s largest slaughterhouses. And there are signs that closures are spreading.
The White House statement on JBS comes as yet another major US sector finds its operations under duress. This comes less than a month after a major cyber attack temporarily shut down the Colonial Pipeline network.
The FBI is now investigating the incident.
Majority of Plants Will Be Operational Wednesday
JBS says it’s made “significant progress” to resolve the cyber attack.
The owner of JBS USA and Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. said some of the company’s pork, poultry and prepared foods plants were operational. Furthermore, the company’s beef facility in Canada has resumed production.
“Our systems are coming back online and we are not sparing any resources to fight this threat.”
JBS USA Chief Executive Officer Andre Nogueira in A statement TO BLOOMBERG
“We have cyber-security plans in place to address these types of issues and we are successfully executing those plans.”
How does this impact the global food supply chain?
The cyber attack on JBS comes as the latest threat to global food supply chains.
The attack focused on the Brazilian company’s computer networks, impacting the five biggest beef plants in the US, all up handling 22 thousand 500 cattle a day.
It shut JBS’ Australian and North American computer networks and sidelined two shifts. This further halted processing at one of Canada’s largest meatpacking plants, but that beef facility has since resumed production.
Australian Operations were also down, whereas operations in Mexico and the U.K. were not affected.
Australia’s federal government took action to minimise impact on supply chain, Federal Agriculture Minister David said the technology and “systems they [JBS] use, go to the heart of the quality assurance of the beef that they process.”
“So we need to make sure that we can get that up and going to give confidence, not just to consumers here in Australia, but also to our export markets,” he said on Tuesday.
Despite the impact, the company was able to ship product from nearly all of its facilities to its customers
Concerns after cyber attack on U.S pipeline impacted gas supply
JBS has 47 facilities across Australia and operates the largest network of production facilities and feedlots in the country.
Hackers have the commodities complex in their crosshairs, with the JBS attack coming just three weeks after Darkside targeted the biggest US gasoline pipeline.
The Colonial Pipeline experienced a cyberattack that shut down its nationwide network on 7 May. As such, millions of barrels of petrol, diesel and jet fuel stopped flowing.
The hackers are from Russia’s “DarkSide”, who allegedly steal from larger corporations and give the ransom funds to charity.
Wall Street signals potential recovery from stock selloff, but caution remains amid trade policy uncertainties ahead of tariff announcements.
In Short
Wall Street traders see signs that the recent US stock selloff may be concluding, with strategists from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley cautiously optimistic about a potential recovery. However, they advise caution before heavily investing in equities due to pending trade policy announcements and the need for clarity on tariffs.
Traders on Wall Street are beginning to see signs that the recent US stock selloff may be ending.
Equity strategists from firms like JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley believe the worst of the downturn is likely over.
Positive investor sentiment metrics and seasonal factors support this view.
Targeted tariffs
Major US stock indexes rebounded following reports of President Trump’s plan to implement targeted tariffs, alleviating some inflation and economic concerns.
The stock market had experienced a sharp decline since mid-February, with the S&P 500 Index suffering its seventh-fastest 10% drop in nearly a century, translating to over $5.6 trillion lost in market capitalisation.
JPMorgan noted that much of this decline affected momentum stocks, which had registered significant gains prior to the downturn, but this has alleviated previous crowding in that market segment.
Recent market recoveries have been noted in sectors that were hit hardest during the selloff, particularly among the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks.
Strategists, including those from Morgan Stanley, are cautiously optimistic about a potential tradeable rally, influenced by various factors including a falling US dollar and pessimistic market sentiment.
ASX200 rises amid potential US rate cuts and Chinese stimulus as mining and banks drive market gains.
In Short
The Australian share market rose, driven by hopes for a US interest rate cut and potential Chinese stimulus, with significant gains in resources and energy sectors. The ASX200 closed up 64.4 points, while some tech stocks had mixed results and Clarity Pharmaceuticals was the biggest loser.
The Australian share market experienced a significant uplift today, driven largely by discussions surrounding a potential interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve and the anticipated stimulus measures from China.
The ASX200 rose by 64.4 points, or 0.83 per cent, closing at 7854.1. The All Ordinaries index also saw gains of 68.80 points, or 0.86 per cent, ending at 8082.1.
The Australian dollar appreciated by 0.03 per cent, purchasing US63.25 cents at the market close.
Eight of the eleven sectors in the ASX concluded positively, with the materials sector leading the way, increasing by 1.58 per cent.
Speculation on new Chinese stimulus measures contributed to this rise, with BHP, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue all recording notable gains.
Mineral Resources surged by 11.57 per cent, marking it as the day’s top performer.
Many mining stocks also witnessed substantial increases, including IGO and Pilbara Minerals.
In the energy sector, Woodside Energy and Ampol saw price increases amid renewed investor interest in riskier assets.
The big four banks notably supported the market’s advance, with Commonwealth Bank and ANZ both rising.
Meanwhile, local tech stocks showed mixed results as excitement grows with the US GTC conference beginning today.
The tech sector in Australia is anticipated to reach substantial growth in the coming years, as experts express cautious optimism amidst current market sentiment.
Dow gains over 650 points in relief bounce but still faces worst weekly loss since 2023 amid ongoing tariff uncertainties.
In Short
Stocks rebounded on Friday, with the Dow gaining 674.62 points, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq experiencing their best day of 2025. Despite this, all major indices faced weekly losses due to ongoing trade policy concerns and declining consumer confidence.
Stocks rallied on Friday, reversing some losses from earlier in the week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 674.62 points, or 1.65%, closing at 41,488.19.
The S&P 500 climbed 2.13% to finish at 5,638.94, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.61% to settle at 17,754.09. This marked the best day for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq in 2025.
Big tech companies rebounded sharply, with Nvidia up over 5%, Tesla rising nearly 4%, and Meta Platforms gaining close to 3%.
Amazon and Apple also saw increases.
The market bounce was attributed to a lack of new tariff-related news from the White House, alleviating some investor concerns.
Following a drop on Thursday, the S&P 500 entered correction territory, having fallen more than 10% from its recent peak.
The Nasdaq slid deeper into correction, while the small-cap Russell 2000 neared a bear market. Uncertainty stemming from President Trump’s trade policies has contributed to heightened market volatility.
Despite Friday’s gains, the three major indices experienced weekly losses, with the Dow down about 3.1%—the worst week since March 2023. S&P 500 and Nasdaq both fell over 2% for their fourth straight weekly decline.
Consumer confidence also declined amid ongoing tariff concerns, with sentiment dropping to 57.9 in March.
Investors await an upcoming Federal Reserve policy meeting, where a majority expect interest rates to remain unchanged.