Enforcing WTO Limits In this extraordinary time of global market turbulence, governments are taking measures to protect industry sectors including agriculture. For example, India has invoked the “peace clause” on its MSP levels (minimum support prices), basically notifying the WTO that its subsidized prices for rice and wheat are beyond the limits imposed by the WTO. The EU proposes storage aid for meat and dairy, relaxing of competition laws, flexibility on use of funds and speedier disbursement of support. And the U.S. has showered billions of dollars on its farmers as a result of a trade war and now the coronavirus, sparking concerns that it is exceeding its WTO rights for such subsidies. The question is whether countr...
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
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.