The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points this week, for the third time in a row. The new target for the federal funds rate is now 1.5 to 1.75 percent, which was what the equity markets were hoping for. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes hit intraday records today, catalyzed by the October jobs and payroll report released this morning. Payrolls contracted in October but not as much as in previous months’ reports, nor nearly as much as the pre-report expectations. Non-farm payroll increased 128,000 in October; the pre-report expectation was 85,000. This increase was despite the GM strike that took 42,000 jobs off the October monthly report. Probably more important, however, was the c...
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.