General Comments The IMF lowered its already anemic forecasts of world economic growth for this and next year, and by implication, raised its view of the chances of a worldwide recession to an "alarmingly high" level. This sent the "safe haven" dollar index sharply higher. However, the dollar strength was ignored by a number of commodities. Crude oil was sharply higher, gaining $3.06 to close at $92.39 on fears that unrest in the Middle East -- including growing tensions between Turkey and Syria and more bluster from Iran -- could interfere with supplies and movements.China's infusion of $42 billion of liquidity into its money markets cheered a number of commodity markets. This Chinese version of QE3 is the second such move in two weeks...
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.