Biden Trade Policy Washington’s chattering class continue to speculate and opine on what President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration should do with trade policy. Some say to cut tariffs, others recommend ending bilateralism, there is even the hope that he will decide to rejoin the TPP. Still others say that Donald Trump’s legacy has given his successor immense leverage for improving the terms of trade for the U.S. Bill Reinsch of the Center for Strategic and International Studies notes that “we are not going back to the post-war era, and we are not going to continue Trump’s policies.” The President-Elect and his fellow Democrats have committed to a trade policy that helps workers and not just corporations...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.