Climate Tightrope President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate kicks off late this week and his plan to commit to a 50 percent reduction (from 2005 levels) in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 may be more rhetorical than inviolable. Like most such political commitments, the goal is to claim victory for the target with a progressive support base but force any painful impacts closer to the end date, long after a Biden/Harris presidency has concluded. The White House is promoting alternative energy but will tread lightly on policies that quickly drive up the cost of gasoline, electricity, or heat. Driving up the cost of these utilities is very regressive and would cause a working class political backlash in 2022 mid-term elections an...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.