World Perspectives

Port Strike Suspended: A Look at Short-Term and Long-Term Issues

East and Gulf Coast port workers are back on the job today after striking on 1 October. Many of the affected ports will add weekend overtime hours to load trucks; several ports will remain closed to trucks today as containers are offloaded to prepared for resumptions of trucking. Importers report being invoiced for port congestion fees by the shipping companies, but in the end, the work stoppage was short enough that the economic ramifications will be limited, for now.   The deal is temporary, with the strike suspended until 15 January after the ports offered wage increases of $4 per hour immediately on top of the $39 per hour base, and an additional $4 per hour for the remainder of the six-year master contract. That is a total i...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.2825/bushel, down $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.225/bushel, down $0.07 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $10.6175/bushel, down $0.06 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $294.3/short ton, down $5...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Give Back Gains on Technical Weakness; Hogs Hit New Highs

Trade in ag commodity futures saw two diverging trends to start the week. Weakness quickly developed in grains and oilseeds amid profit taking, weak technicals, and Export Inspections data that were about as exciting as the last half of the Broncos–Patriots game. Conversely, cattle future...

biofuel energy

E15 Dropped from Appropriations Bill

In a years-long, ongoing policy battle, a provision to secure E15 was dropped at the last minute from the appropriations bill. On paper, the path forward looks clear, as the oil refiners’ association is now onboard with E15; however, there are still many other smaller mechanisms in the le...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.2825/bushel, down $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.225/bushel, down $0.07 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $10.6175/bushel, down $0.06 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $294.3/short ton, down $5...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Give Back Gains on Technical Weakness; Hogs Hit New Highs

Trade in ag commodity futures saw two diverging trends to start the week. Weakness quickly developed in grains and oilseeds amid profit taking, weak technicals, and Export Inspections data that were about as exciting as the last half of the Broncos–Patriots game. Conversely, cattle future...

biofuel energy

E15 Dropped from Appropriations Bill

In a years-long, ongoing policy battle, a provision to secure E15 was dropped at the last minute from the appropriations bill. On paper, the path forward looks clear, as the oil refiners’ association is now onboard with E15; however, there are still many other smaller mechanisms in the le...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

CFTC COT Report Analysis

Friday’s CFTC report showed funds maintaining positions in the major ag futures contract, breaking a four-week trend of significant net selling. Funds cut 3,800 contracts from their net all-ags short position last week, with buying in soyoil and livestock futures driving most of that incr...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up