Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to stay on as Prime Minister despite his coalition government losing its majority in the upper house after an election on Sunday. Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government is a coalition government with its junior coalition partner Komeito; it fell 3 seats short of maintaining a majority in the 248-seat upper house in Sunday’s vote. The coalition needed 50 seats (one half of the upper chamber seats are up every election), yet they won 47. The coalition had 140 seats going into the election, with 91 seats among the 10-party opposition and 17 seats that were unaffiliated. A major issue in the weekend elections was the Trump Administration’s 25 percent tar...
In a recent social media post, R-CALF unveiled its latest cattle market plan: “contracts that bind producers before establishing a base price, then tie that price to future negotiated cash transactions, should be prohibited.” That proposal aligns with recent legislation by Represent...
WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk markets are mixed this week with the Capesize sector seeing a sharp correction from its recent rally. Smaller vessel classes are steady/firmer but the Chinese Golden Week Holiday is pressuring near-term rates. Dry bulk freight did not receive the bullish boost it...
Key Takeaways: Russia recently said it would convert existing export terminals in the Baltic and Arctic Seas to handle grain as the Black and Azov Seas remain closed to maritime trade. Futures markets reacted negatively to this news, but does the conversion matter to short-term and long-...
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.