World Perspectives
feed-grains

Directional Trade Deficit

The Biden Administration halted new trade agreements until it said it could make Americans more competitive with policies like Build Back Better. However, those policies could take many years and the trade deficit continues to grow. It is no doubt helped along by the strong dollar, which makes imports cheaper and exports less competitive.  However, it also does not help when trading partners like Mexico impose barriers to agricultural imports from the U.S. American corn exports are a significant 17 percent of the value of U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico.  They are already down 15 percent in the first quarter of this fiscal year. Mexico’s overall trade surplus with the U.S. has been growing at double digits each year, an...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Fade in Pre-Holiday Trade; Cattle Limit-Down on Plant Closure

The CBOT saw muted and mostly lower trade to open the week of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. The day’s trade was predominantly weaker as technical factors and a lack of news immediately relevant to the grain markets prompted fund selling. Monday’s news did include USDA confirmation...

COP Out, G20 In; Evolution of Big

COP Out; G20 In There were two international meetings in the past few days with similar consequences. The first was the COP30 climate change conference in Brazil, which the EU framed as finding any agreement is a win. Brussels wanted participants to speed up their exit from fossil fuels even as...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 24 November)

Update for 28 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where o...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Fade in Pre-Holiday Trade; Cattle Limit-Down on Plant Closure

The CBOT saw muted and mostly lower trade to open the week of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. The day’s trade was predominantly weaker as technical factors and a lack of news immediately relevant to the grain markets prompted fund selling. Monday’s news did include USDA confirmation...

COP Out, G20 In; Evolution of Big

COP Out; G20 In There were two international meetings in the past few days with similar consequences. The first was the COP30 climate change conference in Brazil, which the EU framed as finding any agreement is a win. Brussels wanted participants to speed up their exit from fossil fuels even as...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 24 November)

Update for 28 April 2025: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where o...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2375/bushel, down $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.3475/bushel, down $0.05 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.2325/bushel, down $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $318.3/short ton, down...

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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.

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