Russian Grain Market: October 2-6, 2023 Bearish sentiments prevailed as the market became volatile from a variety of factors. On the one hand, there are ample stocks, high export duties, and low export prices. On the other the global market should be reaching its bottom and soon begin recovering. What makes it more complicated to grain trading margins is the behavior of the Russian currency, which can play into the hand of the exporter during origination but then turn around and sting as export duties are now calculated in RUB and they are charged in RUB. So far, RUB was mostly bearish but forex can make or break a transaction if one is not careful. The Asian region where trading with Kazakhstan resumed and remains bullish. Siberian whe...
What You Need to Know Today: Last week’s Trump-Xi meetings included China agreeing to roll back $60 billion in tariffs on a huge swath of U.S. ag products, just notably not soybeans. The exclusion of soybeans from the tariff-reduction list means China’s state-run importers COFCO an...
Key Takeaways: The U.S.-China agreement lowers tariffs on several U.S. agricultural products, but the lack of additional soybean commitments or greater certainty surrounding China’s existing 25 MMT purchase pledge made the deal a slight disappointment. Lower tariffs on U.S. corn are unli...
Wheat Argentina Wheat crop conditions remain broadly favorable despite a week marked by frost and localized hailstorms. Currently, 94.6 percent of the crop is rated Normal to Excellent. The most severe storms were reported in central-northern Córdoba and central-eastern Entre Ríos...
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.