Soybeans Market Overview Chinese buyers were not very active last week and the Brazilian real depreciated strongly against the U.S. dollar, falling from 4.42 reals/U.S. dollar to 4.5. In the second half of 2019, analysts were predicting an exchange rate of around 3.8 reals/U.S. dollar once Brazil’s pension reform was approved. The reform did finally pass, but the currency did not strengthen as expected. The weaker real has, of course, been great for Brazilian farmers, who sell crops in reals, as their income has not dropped significantly. The decline in CBOT futures was largely offset by the depreciating currency, leaving farm incomes mostly unchanged. Brazil Farmer selling has been active in recent weeks, trading an average...
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.