Commodity markets are weakening both due to higher interest rates depressing demand and slowed world trade, and because many are traded based on the dollar, which has skyrocketed in value. Technically, it can be argued that it is the euro/pound/yen that have weakened since the dollar’s value has maintained relative value to emerging market currencies excluding China and Russia. Though emerging markets still face the risk of distressed debt as they’ve overspent reserves to slow their own inflationary pressures. The bottom line is that global trading links to the dollar remain strong, and the Federal Reserve’s effort to slow the U.S. economy is concurrently slowing global GDP growth. UNCTAD sees global development sta...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
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.