World Perspectives
softs

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...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Fall on Weather, Strong Dollar; Cattle Surge on Inventory Numbers

The CBOT turned lower to start the week with some of the profit-taking that defined Friday’s end-of-month trade continuing into the first day of February. Also pressuring grain futures was an improved forecast for Argentina, a surge in the U.S. dollar, and sharply lower energy markets. Th...

India’s Catbird Seat; Targeting Cuba; Good and Bad GMOs

India’s Catbird Seat China is a state-run economy with formidable output, utilizing abundant, lower-cost labor. India is a democracy with a massive low-cost labor pool and countless restrictions on imports. The EU and now the U.S. have completed very different trade agreements with India,...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.2575/bushel, down $0.025 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.2775/bushel, down $0.1025 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $10.6025/bushel, down $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $294.5/short ton, up $0...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Grains Fall on Weather, Strong Dollar; Cattle Surge on Inventory Numbers

The CBOT turned lower to start the week with some of the profit-taking that defined Friday’s end-of-month trade continuing into the first day of February. Also pressuring grain futures was an improved forecast for Argentina, a surge in the U.S. dollar, and sharply lower energy markets. Th...

India’s Catbird Seat; Targeting Cuba; Good and Bad GMOs

India’s Catbird Seat China is a state-run economy with formidable output, utilizing abundant, lower-cost labor. India is a democracy with a massive low-cost labor pool and countless restrictions on imports. The EU and now the U.S. have completed very different trade agreements with India,...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.2575/bushel, down $0.025 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.2775/bushel, down $0.1025 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $10.6025/bushel, down $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $294.5/short ton, up $0...

livestock

Meat Producer Price Index

Wholesale meat prices fell across the board in December, seasonally adjusted, according to Producer Price Index (PPI) data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The overall PPI for final demand, which measures the end stage of production, rose 0.5 percent last month, driven by high...

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