Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA The Muslim month Ramadan, a period of fasting, prayer, reflection and family time, begins today and ends 12 May. Business in Muslim countries will be a little more difficult due to changes in government and office working hours during the Ramadan period. To all in the Muslim world --- Ramadan Mabrouk. There are now several programs in the works for the rebuilding of the port in Beirut. The container shipping company CMA CGM has a $600 million program for the rebuilding of the docks and warehouses while a German program calls for a new port outside Beirut with the old, damaged port to become parkland, offices, and homes. It is also reported that Dubai’s DP World and some...
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...
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.