Tech Tax Divide G-20 finance ministers failed to make headway on the issue of high-tech company taxation and the prognosis is not good. The Czech Republic is the latest European company to debate imposing a high levy on global internet companies and its officials apparently brushed aside the threat of U.S. retaliation. The Czech’s are less dependent on the U.S. for trade than other EU members, but it nonetheless exports twice as many goods to America than the value of trade flows in the reverse. The Czech position is notable because the Trump Administration speaks almost enthusiastically about retaliating against such taxes. Meanwhile, the OECD official trying to find a middle ground on the issues, Pascal Saint-Amans, is quoted sayin...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to -$218/head last week, down $20 from the prior week as a softer Choice cutout combined with slightly lower fed cattle prices. The cutout slipped to $391/cwt while fed cattle prices eased to $256/cwt, leaving packer profits under pressure. Margins remain deeply...
What You Need to Know Today: The U.S. and Iran agreed to a peace deal on Monday with the deal expected to be signed Friday in Switzerland. The memorandum signed is explicit that Iran will allow 60 days of toll-free transit for all traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and President Trump annou...
The U.S. and Iran announced a framework peace deal. Crude oil futures dropped to $83.08, the lowest since early March. The breakthrough comes as President Trump said that if Iran failed to reach a deal, he would order renewed military attacks. An LNG tanker chartered by India’s Petronet c...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.