U.S. President Joe Biden has been busy in Europe this past week and the results are a mixed bag of tricks. Boeing-Airbus Dispute: The two sides will withdraw punitive tariffs on each other’s goods for five years. Tariffs are generally bad and this is an especially good deal for the EU since it faced 87 percent more punishment from the U.S. than it could impose on American goods. The commitment to find a legal solution to the dispute rings hollow since the two sides have failed at that chore for the past 17 years. The real focus is on a joint industrial policy to beat China at large aircraft manufacturing. An effort to develop global disciplines on aircraft subsidies likely gets blocked by China. An especially silly agreement is that...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
What You Need to Know Today: The hot, dry weather forecast continues to drive strength in grain futures with corn and soybeans hitting another day of strong gains. Monday’s Crop Progress and Conditions data were in line with market expectations and showed relatively few concerns for the...
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.