During the past several weeks the worldwide impact of the coronavirus and the resulting severe slowdown of economic activity have sent most financial markets spiraling lower. However, their decent has been accompanied by a sharp increase in volatility. Stock market indices have experienced almost unbelievably sharp spikes both up and down. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average was losing about a third of its value, it endured numerous daily swings in both directions of 1,000 or even 2,000 points. Gold prices and the U.S. dollar have surged higher as traders sought “safe havens” for their money. During the same period of time, grain and soy futures markets have been largely independent of the gyrating financial markets. Grain a...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.