CBOT markets finished the week mostly higher with short covering in corn and soymeal spilling over to other markets. Vice President Pence noted today that China is committed to making its utmost effort to fulfill its Phase One agreements, a fact which brought comfort to the ag markets. End users are increasingly willing to make purchases on market breaks, which will likely help keep the CBOT supported as the 15 February deadline for China’s implementation of the Phase One agreement details nears. The index fund roll began today and will last for another four days, which will also be a notable force at the CBOT next week. WPI notes that index funds continue to expand their long position in ag markets. Global currency dynamics ar...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump suspended the planned attacks on Iran and announced that the pieces for a framework for peace were in place in a weekend social media post. Iran, however, later said no efforts were underway to conduct negotiations with the U.S., though Oman indicat...
Key Takeaways: E15 expansion would support corn and ethanol demand by increasing domestic biofuel consumption and reducing reliance on petroleum-based fuels. Year-round E15 has gained bipartisan momentum, but the policy remains in legislative limbo as lawmakers continue to negotiate provisions...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.