If a wolf can be in sheep’s clothing, could a bear be in a bull’s hide? Or a bull in a bear’s coat? Whether a bull or a bear, it is about profit-taking, which means sometimes the bull makes a nod to the bear and the bear to the bull. Today was another day won by the bull but not without some introspection. The trading range in soybeans was almost 33 cents, in Chicago wheat it was 20 cents and in corn almost 18 cents. In the end and despite a soft start, there were continued and substantial gains across the board in grains and oilseeds. There were new contract highs set in March HRW and HRS, and a new contract high close in March corn. The ever-higher values have prompted higher margin maintenance levels in Chicago and at...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.