Soybeans Dalien soybean futures and spot prices have defied seasonal trends since October 2025. They have been rising due to structural shortages of high-protein soybeans. Liu Mei, soybean analyst for Shanghai Steel Network, blames the situation on a poor harvest last year in the south, a delayed harvest in the northeast, holiday demand, and the resumption of work and production. China’s soybean imports in March were down nearly 15 percent to 4.02 MMT, compared with a forecast of 6.4 MMT. They were 16.58 MMT during January – March, a year-on-year decline of 3.1 percent. Meanwhile, Brazil shipped 9.97 MMT of soybeans to China in March, which was down 1.1 MMT from March 2025. Brazil’s exports to other destinations were...
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.
Commodity markets – being composed primarily of human beings – reflect the impatience and forever forward-looking nature of humans. In the present case, this means that while the September WASDE offered some much-needed and much-desired updates, markets are now focused on that etern...