World Perspectives
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Rhyme Not Repeat

There is no proxy for the exact current global commodity situation, though it looks familiar at this juncture. Petroleum is arguably being over-produced, as are major crops like corn, wheat and soybeans. Each of the aforementioned are at or near record carryover. In the historical boom/bust cycle of commodities – something must and will change.  Oil prices peaked in the 1970’s at the same time inflation pushed up the value of gold, and then notably collapsed. In July 1973, an ounce of gold could buy 33 barrels of oil. The perceived shortage affected producers of lots of different commodities, causing overinvestment, consequently over-production and ultimately a collapse in values. By January 1974, that same ounce would buy...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

European Market Analysis

Regional News  EU grain markets continue to see pressure as the euro’s meteoric rise to a 3½-year high against the U.S. dollar undermines grain export competitiveness. The currency’s rally has sparked significant technical selling in Matif futures with Paris wheat fallin...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

CFTC COT Report Analysis

Friday’s CFTC report showed that funds are slightly increasing bullish bets across the ag space, primarily in the soy complex and livestock futures. Managed money traders’ net ag position (the combined position across the soybean complex, the three U.S. wheat contracts, corn, and th...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: No Raucous End to the Week

With no new input on fundamentals, traders passively went through the day making only minor changes. Monday’s crop progress report will provide some input, and especially focus on the May 12 WASDE. It will be the first keen look at the balance sheets for MY 2025/26.  It was the fifth...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

European Market Analysis

Regional News  EU grain markets continue to see pressure as the euro’s meteoric rise to a 3½-year high against the U.S. dollar undermines grain export competitiveness. The currency’s rally has sparked significant technical selling in Matif futures with Paris wheat fallin...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

CFTC COT Report Analysis

Friday’s CFTC report showed that funds are slightly increasing bullish bets across the ag space, primarily in the soy complex and livestock futures. Managed money traders’ net ag position (the combined position across the soybean complex, the three U.S. wheat contracts, corn, and th...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: No Raucous End to the Week

With no new input on fundamentals, traders passively went through the day making only minor changes. Monday’s crop progress report will provide some input, and especially focus on the May 12 WASDE. It will be the first keen look at the balance sheets for MY 2025/26.  It was the fifth...

North Dakota and Glyphosate

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson averred in a recent Wall Street Journal interview that the company will make a decision “in months” - not years – whether it will remain the only domestic producer of glyphosate in the U.S. Anderson became CEO in 2023 and at the time promised to have th...

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From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

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