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...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Volatility Continues with Corn Less Supported than Soybeans

The market continues to look for a floor following Monday’s WASDE report, with soybeans and soyoil finding terra firma on a bullish NOPA report that showed crush at a near-record level. Volume was generally subdued but skyrocketed in soyoil as traders sought to get a piece of the rising a...

Transportation and Export Report - January 15, 2026

WPI is pleased to the second week of the Transportation and Export Report, a weekly industry publication previously produced by ocean freight specialist Jay O’Neil. This report, which WPI recently acquired, will strengthen WPI’s coverage of global ocean freight markets by building o...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins rebounded modestly last week but remained deeply negative. Margins improved $60/head to –$249 as the Choice cutout rose $14/cwt while fed cattle prices were mostly steady. The improvement reflects a short-term stabilization in boxed beef values following the sharp post...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Volatility Continues with Corn Less Supported than Soybeans

The market continues to look for a floor following Monday’s WASDE report, with soybeans and soyoil finding terra firma on a bullish NOPA report that showed crush at a near-record level. Volume was generally subdued but skyrocketed in soyoil as traders sought to get a piece of the rising a...

Transportation and Export Report - January 15, 2026

WPI is pleased to the second week of the Transportation and Export Report, a weekly industry publication previously produced by ocean freight specialist Jay O’Neil. This report, which WPI recently acquired, will strengthen WPI’s coverage of global ocean freight markets by building o...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins rebounded modestly last week but remained deeply negative. Margins improved $60/head to –$249 as the Choice cutout rose $14/cwt while fed cattle prices were mostly steady. The improvement reflects a short-term stabilization in boxed beef values following the sharp post...

livestock

Livestock Round Up: Tariff Impacts on Beef Supply

While President Trump has stuck to the storyline that tariffs are an economic boost for the U.S., one sector in particular shows a different story: beef. As WPI has noted many times, about half of all beef consumption in the U.S. is in the form of ground beef, and that ground beef relies on imp...

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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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