Jones Act: The EU is correctly arguing that the Jones Act, an American law restricting intra-U.S. shipping be restricted to domestically built and operated ships is trade distorting. Washington argues its original purpose, to ensure the supply of domestic ships for national security, remains a fact. Europe would have more of a case if it contributed more to keeping global shipping lanes free. Despite its large economy, EU based navies retain two-thirds less tonnage than the U.S. Navy. They operate no cruisers or destroyers and have very few blue water ships. Hardly a strong position to be arguing against a U.S. defense policy that spares Europe the cost. China Message: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says she will go to China ag...
What You Need to Know Today: There has already been a strong run of flash soybean sales announcements in recent weeks, but more than 1.4 MMT reported this morning is an exceptionally large single-day total with major implications for the market. If the sales to China and unknown destinations w...
On Friday, at 6:57 AM, President Donald Trump announced, via a social media post, a 90-day window during which up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef could be imported outside of tariff-rate quotas—a move aimed at bringing down costs for American consumers. This is the secon...
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.