Ronald Reagan famously said, “If you want more of something, subsidize it; if you want less of something tax it.” Some countries are moving forward with taxes on technology companies. After all, they are big, rich and offer up an easy fillip on government revenues. However, it can also be short-sighted in terms of broader economic advances. Understanding the benefits of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) can be difficult. After all, it costs relatively little and thus conventional models undervalue its contribution to GDP. Yet its low cost is what democratizes its benefits. It does not require a lot of GDP to acquire its benefits. As a result, over half the world’s population has access to the internet. Its...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump claimed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, as both sides accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement. Commercial vessels are increasingly steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz as security risks escalate following Iran...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.