World Perspectives
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Sugar Volatility

It has been a volatile year for global sugar prices. They hit 27.95 cents/pound on 6 November 2023 – the highest since 1980. They fell 30 percent to 19.69 cents/pound in May and now are running around 20.26 cents/pound.   It is difficult to draw a complete supply/demand imbalance as the rationale. Global sugar production has been expanding by 1.21 percent per year, but over the same period, global ending stocks have declined by 1.46 percent per year. Yet human consumption has only been increasing by 0.57 percent per year. It would be easy to blame biofuels except the change in biofuels demand is not that different than the change from human demand. The area sown to both sugar beets and sugarcane has been relatively static a...

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Cattle on Feed for Nov 1, 2025

U.S. Cattle on Feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head on November 1, 2025. The inventory was 2 percent below November 1, 2024.  Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.04 million head, 10 percent below 2024.  Marketings of fed cattle dur...

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Market Commentary: Taking Back Yesterday’s Losses

The CBOT was mostly higher on Tuesday with rumors of Chinese soybean buying and strong performance in equity markets boosting trader sentiment. Tuesday’s trade seemed to reflect the typical pre-Thanksgiving glide into low-volume, low-volatility trade that often dominates the day before an...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.235/bushel, down $0.0025 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.3925/bushel, up $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.2475/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $320.4/short ton, up $2.1 fr...

livestock

Cattle on Feed for Nov 1, 2025

U.S. Cattle on Feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head on November 1, 2025. The inventory was 2 percent below November 1, 2024.  Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.04 million head, 10 percent below 2024.  Marketings of fed cattle dur...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Taking Back Yesterday’s Losses

The CBOT was mostly higher on Tuesday with rumors of Chinese soybean buying and strong performance in equity markets boosting trader sentiment. Tuesday’s trade seemed to reflect the typical pre-Thanksgiving glide into low-volume, low-volatility trade that often dominates the day before an...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.235/bushel, down $0.0025 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.3925/bushel, up $0.045 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.2475/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soymeal closed at $320.4/short ton, up $2.1 fr...

livestock

Cattle on Feed Report Shows Record Low Placements for October

USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed report was released on Friday. Total cattle on feed amounted to 11.7 million head, 98 percent of last year.    Placements were the lowest for the month of October since the series began in 1996, dropping 10 percent on the year due to tight supply o...

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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.

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