U.S. biofuel makers are disappointed that U.S. EPA is not more aggressively pushing fuel blending, but their plight is consistent with the pandemic related faltering in global biofuel production. The International Energy Agency (EIA) says that 10 percent annual increases are needed in global biofuel production to meet the Sustainable Development Scenario. Instead, global production fell by 11.6 percent in 2020 due to reduced transport fuel use due to COVID. Production and utilization may increase in 2021 but it is unlikely to hit a full rebound. Production increases before the pandemic were short of EIA’s projections, rising 7 percent in 2018 and 6 percent in 2019. If policymakers achieve their goal of greatly expanding the ele...
What You Need to Know Today: Corn and soybean futures were lower to open the week, with funds still in control and in a selling mood. The upcoming WASDE report on Tuesday is also likely to feature larger corn and soybean stocks, which helped put grain futures on the defensive. Wheat futures we...
Key Takeaways: Currency exchange rates influence agricultural export competitiveness and producer profitability, even when underlying commodity prices remain unchanged. A weaker domestic currency allows agricultural exporters to receive more local currency for dollar-denominated sales, potenti...
Although inflation has remained elevated since the post-COVID surge, it steadily moderated until the past year. More to the point, today’s inflation looks very different from 2022, when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) peaked at 9 percent. During and after the pandemic, the M2 money supply...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.