World Perspectives

Inflation, Monetary Policy and Ag Trade

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) made some noteworthy changes to its economic outlook at last week’s meeting, revising its forecast of personal consumption expenditures (PCE) to 1.5 percent for 2019 and 1.9 percent for 2020. The PCE is the standard measure used by the Fed for inflation excluding ag and energy. The March PCE forecast was 1.8 percent for this year and 2 percent for 2020. Of course, the Fed’s target for inflation is 2 percent. The downward revised forecast is therefore a precursor to the FOMC considering a rate cut to bump inflation up to that target. The June meeting was a dot-plot meeting, which involves the Fed releasing a chart of the members’ outlook on future interest r...

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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.

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