World Perspectives

Economy and Trade Policy Impacts on Commodities

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures the price received by producers when they sell their output, fell for the second consecutive month in January with a drop of 0.10 percent. Over the past three months, the PPI is down at an annualized rate of 0.3 percent. But the decline is being driven by the ag and energy sectors, which might be good for the overall economy, but bad for ag and energy. Food inflation was down 1.7 percent last month, and energy dropped 3.8 percent, the only two categories to fall. Even within the commodities sector, metals rose. This means everything else in the economy is seeing an increase in prices except agriculture and energy. Thus, core inflation (i.e., inflation minus food and energy) is up 2.6 percent o...

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Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.4575/bushel, down $0.0275 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.7725/bushel, down $0.1425 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.64/bushel, down $0.0675 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $312.9/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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