Security Loses its Luster The incoming Biden Administration will find geopolitics more difficult to navigate. Hanns Mull of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs notes several conflicting transatlantic issues. Germany wants to continue relying on the U.S. for security while concurrently keeping China as its top economic partner. A Korber Foundation poll found 82 percent of Germans prefer neutrality between the globe’s two giants, with only 12 percent siding with the U.S. This informs as to why the EU is ignoring pushback from the U.S. over issues like China’s human rights violations and mercantilist economic practices by finalizing a trade and investment agreement with Beijing. Meanwhile, COVID trumps secu...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.