Ag Lags Economy Despite a trade war, a government shutdown, Brexit, declines in factory output and consumer spending plus other worries, the stock market had its best first quarter since 1998. And agricultural commodities? Of the nearly 100 financial instruments (stock indices, currencies, commodity futures, etc.) tracked by the Wall Street Journal, farm commodities made up nearly 20 percent of the losers in the first quarter and just 3.6 percent of the winners. Last week wasn’t much better as ag was 6.45 percent of the losers and showed no gainers. Yet, economic policy uncertainty is at its second-highest level in decades (see graph below), and it is at a record high in China. But should it be? There is a credit crunch, but with lo...
What You Need to Know Today: After a period of limited activity, USDA reported a sizeable 613 KMT in soybean export sales, including 330 KMT to China and 283 KMT to unknown destinations, potentially also China. The purchases represent a meaningful pickup in demand and bring China closer to ful...
Key Takeaways: Consumer spending is a key driver of the U.S. economy, and the latest retail sales data indicate that spending remains robust despite inflation. In September, total retail and food service sales rose more than 6 percent year-over-year, with food service spending up 7 percent and...
The Trump import plan for 300,000 MT of beef supplies used for ground beef, i.e., lean trim, from September through November has, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins, brought some relief to beef prices. The Executive Order states that the Secretary of Agriculture will analyze and review the m...
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.