World Perspectives

Petroleum Politics

Politicons The petroleum industry gets a politically inspired federal investigation every time gasoline prices rise above consumer comfort levels. This year is no different except the price spike is more specific to California. Showing the gall of most of her ilk, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) is demanding that federal regulators look for illegal collusion on prices in her state by the gasoline companies. The sad point is that everyone inside and outside of California understands that the cause is state level regulations that make it the most prescriptive fuel market in the country. Like previous price spikes, this one can be explained by the fundamentals; but more than in other cases, it is the result of policies supporte...

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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.

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