World Perspectives

War on Words; Defense Kills Permanence; War Changes Market – But How?

War on Words Autocratic regimes can be dystopian and filled with censorship. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has ordered information sources to not call his assault on Ukraine an “attack,” an “invasion,” or a “war.” Instead, it is to be called a special operation. Using any of the banned descriptors could lead to 15 years in jail. This must have been the fear of USDA analysts in lockup writing today’s WASDE report. They referred to it as “Russia’s recent military action in Ukraine…” They did not completely kowtow to the Russian line, but they kind of did. The USDA/FAS writers of today’s Grain: World Markets and Trade report were a little more daring, which is kind of fu...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: The Tempo not the Quantum

Everyone knows the volume traded this week will be lower, but there is no break in the directional adjustments. The corn market still had to continue its march higher, worries about wheat supplies moving out of Ukraine and even volume was not totally lower with soymeal and lean hog trading keep...

livestock

Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report

USDA released its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report today. The inventory of all hogs and pigs on 1 December was 75.5 million head, up 1 percent from December 2024, and up slightly from 1 September 2025.  Breeding inventory, at 5.95 million head, was down 1 percent from last year and up sligh...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.475/bushel, up $0.005 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.17/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.515/bushel, down $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $304.2/short ton, up $2.3 from...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: The Tempo not the Quantum

Everyone knows the volume traded this week will be lower, but there is no break in the directional adjustments. The corn market still had to continue its march higher, worries about wheat supplies moving out of Ukraine and even volume was not totally lower with soymeal and lean hog trading keep...

livestock

Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report

USDA released its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report today. The inventory of all hogs and pigs on 1 December was 75.5 million head, up 1 percent from December 2024, and up slightly from 1 September 2025.  Breeding inventory, at 5.95 million head, was down 1 percent from last year and up sligh...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.475/bushel, up $0.005 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.17/bushel, up $0.015 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.515/bushel, down $0.0175 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $304.2/short ton, up $2.3 from...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins deteriorated further last week, extending their move into negative territory after early December’s strong profits. Margins fell another $65/head to –$140 as fed cattle prices held firm while the Choice cutout slipped nearly $2/cwt. The tightening spread reflects...

Image
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.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up