Grain and soy markets are dividing their focus between this week’s trade negotiations in Beijing and USDA’s reports on initial planting intentions and quarterly stocks that will be released 29 March. These are two different subjects of course, but the outcome of the U.S.-China trade negotiations can have a major impact on future quarterly stocks totals. Without seeing USDA’s estimates of planting intentions, the trade is already discounting them. In its early projections, USDA used a corn acreage number of 92 million acres, up from 89.1 million in 2018/19, and it projected soybean acreage at 85 million acres, 4.2 million less than in 2018/19. The general expectation is that USDA’s initial planting intentions report...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.