The Russian invasion into Ukraine now enters its second week; general expectations were that the whole conflict would be short-lived, but Ukraine has proven more resistant and resilient than expected. In fact, early in February, the markets were betting that the war would be averted and both countries currencies appreciated from January lows. Economically, sanctions have been implemented on Russia, from exports to banking transactions. The ruble has dropped like a stone and is now less than 1 cent in U.S. dollars, it was 1.3 cents at the beginning of February. That’s a 31 percent drop. The Ukrainian hryvnia is up and now at 29.7 cents in U.S. dollars; at the beginning of February, it was 28.4 cents. But chaos still aboun...
What You Need to Know Today: The hot, dry weather forecast continues to drive strength in grain futures with corn and soybeans hitting another day of strong gains. Monday’s Crop Progress and Conditions data were in line with market expectations and showed relatively few concerns for the...
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...
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.