World Perspectives
feed-grains

Monetary Policy and Farm Income

The overall economy is ready for a federal funds rate hike, which will be an impact on farm income that is already down with crop prices and debt that is starting to rise again.he Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FMOC) meets tomorrow with much market speculation as to whether the federal funds rate will be increased. Its target rate was raised in December 2015 to 0.25-0.50 percent from 0.00-0.25, which had been in place since 2008. That was the first increase since 2006, and the expectation last December was that the Fed would again raise rates by a similar amount two-four times in 2016. This has not occurred to date, but tomorrow’s meeting is one of three left for the year with the others scheduled for 1-2 November and 13-1...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Ags Sink on Risk-Off Day Despite Weaker Dollar

The CBOT was higher overnight as the U.S. dollar fell to a three-year low, but the day session saw the major ag market slip lower and end in the red with pressure from macroeconomic markets increasing. In addition to sparking trade wars with nearly every major U.S. trading partner, U.S. Preside...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 25 Corn closed at $4.8175/bushel, down $0.005 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Wheat closed at $5.385/bushel, down $0.1025 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soybeans closed at $10.295/bushel, down $0.07 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soymeal closed at $292.9/short ton, down $2...

Barriers are Good; Squeezed in the Trade War; Calculating the Impacts; Tax is a Tax

Barriers are Good The issue de jour is tariffs. Donald Trump is vilified by conventionalists for the self-induced wound of raising this single barrier to business. As a businessman, Trump sees a complex web of market barriers. Domestic regulations, domestic taxes, but also foreign tariffs (taxe...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Ags Sink on Risk-Off Day Despite Weaker Dollar

The CBOT was higher overnight as the U.S. dollar fell to a three-year low, but the day session saw the major ag market slip lower and end in the red with pressure from macroeconomic markets increasing. In addition to sparking trade wars with nearly every major U.S. trading partner, U.S. Preside...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 25 Corn closed at $4.8175/bushel, down $0.005 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Wheat closed at $5.385/bushel, down $0.1025 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soybeans closed at $10.295/bushel, down $0.07 from yesterday's close.  May 25 Soymeal closed at $292.9/short ton, down $2...

Barriers are Good; Squeezed in the Trade War; Calculating the Impacts; Tax is a Tax

Barriers are Good The issue de jour is tariffs. Donald Trump is vilified by conventionalists for the self-induced wound of raising this single barrier to business. As a businessman, Trump sees a complex web of market barriers. Domestic regulations, domestic taxes, but also foreign tariffs (taxe...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Mercosur Regional Analysis

Argentina Macroeconomic Updates Argentina saw a shortened trading week, with no markets last Thursday and Friday. It was also the first week of trading under the new exchange rate regulations, so it took the markets a few days to adjust. Regarding the official exchange rate, it opened on Monday...

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From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

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