World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

So Much Pain in Agriculture

There was an article making the rounds this week from Bloomberg, “There’s So Much Pain in Agriculture That Traders Are Leaving” (click here). It’s interesting, but some of the premises about the industry are flawed. Following are some examples: The first premise is that big crops have taken away the volatility and therefore trading opportunities. We’ve really only had six or eight years of volatility (2006-2012 or so) over the past 30-100 years. Grain companies survived and prospered through mostly long periods of low volatility. Below is a long-term chart of corn futures. There wasn’t any volatility until the U.S. biofuels legislation turned corn consumption upside down. Long-term wheat and soybean ch...

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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

Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming

WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.

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