World Perspectives

EU Studies Trading Houses

As part of its witch hunt for unfair market practices, the EU Parliament’s AGRI Committee requested a study of the major agricultural commodity trading companies and their impacts.  The study may inform populists in the U.S. that also see consolidated industries as inherently harmful, but the bottom line for policymakers is what can they logically do about such concerns. Lawmakers, especially in Europe, should heed this week’s warning by Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel who said, "Europe has a cultural tendency to over-regulate, which is naturally a disadvantage. We need balance, it's always a question of balance, and we need to accommodate both [technology development and democratic values and human rights]."Oligopoly: The rep...

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Dry bulk freight rates cratered this week as China started its Golden Week holiday, which blanketed markets with calm and quiet. Pacific markets were especially dull and weaker, especially amid doubts about how China’s grain demand will play out after the holiday. China still has not book...

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Trade versus Self-Sufficiency

David Ricardo’s concept of comparative advantage has not been disproven; it has just been ignored for the past 200 years. While there has been progress toward untethered competition in the post-war period, American labor unions became most vocal against trade agreements during the Obama A...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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