General Comments The Fed's FOMC closed its regular two-day October meeting without changing any of its policy initiatives or adding any new ones. This includes leaving its interest rate near zero indefinitely and giving the U.S. economy a monthly dose of QE3 mortgage bond buying in an effort to keep the already historically low interest rates historically low and to pump money into the economy. The Fed noted that the economy is growing moderately but not enough to produce the volume of jobs needed to reduce unemployment. The Fed also noted a slight increase in consumer spending and some signs that the housing sector is improving. However, it pointed to a slowdown in business investment. It said inflation had risen slightly due to energy...
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
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.