Indonesia put the turd in the punch bowl this week and caused vegetable oil futures to rocket to record highs. Its export embargo of palm oil is temporary and reflects domestic politics and supply chain inflexibilities but, in conjunction with the war in Ukraine, it is having a huge adverse global impact. Trade Policy India and Argentina are two countries adept at using border measures to manipulate supply/demand situations and now India wants a long-term supply contract with Argentina and is urging Buenos Aires to end its 30 percent export duty on sunflower oil. In exchange, Delhi will give concessions on its import duty. Argentina is unlikely to concede to the proposal since the yield on its recent sunflower crop was 5 percent bel...
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
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.