FSU to Forefront The EU is moving forward on a free trade agreement with Ukraine and announced that Serbia is now a candidate for EU membership. Meanwhile, proponents in the U.S. of waiving Jackson-Vanick and granting Russia permanent normal trading rights (PNTR) fear they may have a battle on their hands. However, the expression of concern seems overstated. These days, economic concerns trump human rights concerns, and failing to waive Jackson-Vanick is a bad economic deal for Americans. Moscow's position on Syria and Iran does not help, but Russia will have plenty of new WTO trading partners come this summer and U.S. leverage is negligible. Already the U.S. steel industry may need to challenge Russia in the WTO over scrap steel exports...
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.