Argentina Dryness Currently the Soybean Trade’s Key Focus It is well known by observers of the global soybean market over the last decade that one of the key factors to watch is the weather situation in Argentina, which has a history of being quite variable from one year to next. Periodic flooding has impacted the country’s soybean production during the past few years, but a severe drought in 2009 and 2012 sharply reduced it and had a substantial effect on prices. Production declined from 46.2 MMT in 2008 to 40.1 MMT in 2009 and from 49 MMT in 2011 to 40.1 MMT the following year as well. It appears there is a growing chance Argentina may suffer another drought in 2018 with a similar effect. Parts of the country are curre...
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.
The corn and soy complex closed higher, with the wheat market mixed, as winter wheat closed up but spring wheat and livestock ended lower. Part of the strength for corn and soybeans may have been a weather premium, as crop planting has started out fast but warm weather has been slow to develop...
Reflect for a moment on what you eat. There is a lot of advice out there in the ether about what you should eat, but really, what do you currently eat and how much? The good people at the USDA have some data for you, to help you answer that question. USDA says that we eat quite a bit of meat. L...
WPI recently completed an expansion of our methodology for estimating and forecasting U.S. and global soybean crushing margins. The new approach incorporates the energy market’s expanding influence on the oilseed sector and the structural changes in global biofuel demand. This report is i...