Green Impact on Black Equals Red Activists in Europe are protesting against today’s “Black Friday” shopping extravaganza. They argue that the environmental externalities of consumerism will destroy the planet. This begs the question of whether commercial minimalism will destroy the EU economy. Over 55 percent of Europe’s economic momentum is driven by consumption but Brussels is converting to a Green New Deal that promises “mainstreaming sustainability” and a green oath to “do no harm.” This carries over to agriculture where the “farm to fork” strategy pledges “a toolbox for alternatives to pesticides.” French policymakers pledged to ban glyphosate and develop a safer...
Yesterday we wrote about the Q1 GDP numbers and the June employment reports in an article entitled Real GDP for Q1 Relying on AI Buildout, Held Back by Consumer Spending. That article mentioned that consumer spending had become a drag on GDP. Nonetheless, real GDP in Q1 was revised upward to 2...
Key Takeaways: The Middle East and North Africa's arid climate and limited water resources have created a structural dependence on imported wheat. Government wheat tenders in major importing countries serve as important benchmarks for global trade, providing insight into exporter competitivene...
Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Bangladesh is reported to have finalized the purchase of 270,000 MT of wheat, including 220,000 MT of U.S. wheat. The U.S. wheat is priced at $322/MT, with an additional 50,000 MT of wheat at $297.90/MT through an international te...
The final reading for real GDP growth in Q1 was revised upward to a 2.1 percent rate from a prior estimate of 1.6 percent, but the underlying details show a weaker mix. The stronger headline reflected a large upward revision to net exports, along with smaller upward adjustments to inventories a...
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.