World Perspectives

Tariff Follies Begin; Ludicrous Lutnick; Hill-arious Committee Picks

Tariff Follies Begin There is playing from strength, like having the leverage of oversized trade deficits, and then there is overplaying one’s hand. Blanket 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for ephemeral reasons fentanyl and immigration, two things Mr. Trump cannot even control in his own country, seems rash. Canada and Mexico will retaliate, and they may even drag out negotiations in a gambit that American consumers can get as irate as government grant recipients were early in the week when the President tried to stall their payments. Using the trade imbalance as leverage to achieve improved terms of trade could be legitimate. The rationale is not only flimsy, but the implementation tomorrow without protection for existing dea...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.625/bushel, up $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.55/bushel, down $0.085 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $322.4/short ton, down $4.2 from y...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Diminishing Energy Impacts on CBOT Trade

Tuesday’s energy markets took back about half of Monday’s losses as tensions in the Arab Gulf flared again, despite recent announcements of diplomatic talks and a five-day cooling-down period from the U.S. Overnight, Iran and Israel launched new rounds of attacks on each other, and...

China Market Analysis

Balanced Trade Bilateral trade in both directions between the U.S. and China has slowed, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang told last week’s meeting of the China Development Forum 2026 that Beijing pledges balanced trade and greater openness. His country is seeking to reassure foreign investors...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

May 26 Corn closed at $4.625/bushel, up $0.03 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Wheat closed at $5.9/bushel, up $0.0225 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soybeans closed at $11.55/bushel, down $0.085 from yesterday's close.  May 26 Soymeal closed at $322.4/short ton, down $4.2 from y...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Diminishing Energy Impacts on CBOT Trade

Tuesday’s energy markets took back about half of Monday’s losses as tensions in the Arab Gulf flared again, despite recent announcements of diplomatic talks and a five-day cooling-down period from the U.S. Overnight, Iran and Israel launched new rounds of attacks on each other, and...

China Market Analysis

Balanced Trade Bilateral trade in both directions between the U.S. and China has slowed, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang told last week’s meeting of the China Development Forum 2026 that Beijing pledges balanced trade and greater openness. His country is seeking to reassure foreign investors...

Thune Introduces Fertilizer Price Reporting Bill

The war in Iran has brought the four-year simmering focus on fertilizer prices to a quick boil.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) introduced the Fertilizer Transparency Act, cosponsored by Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsi...

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From WPI Consulting

Forecasting developments in production agriculture

On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.

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