Artificially suppressing a country's currency exchange rate in order to boost exports and local employment has been the game of mercantilists for many years. However, the currency markets are now experiencing unexpected twists and turns. Fallacious Intuition Foodies are excited that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP – aka food stamps) is about to add $100 million in subsidies that will double the amount of "local" produce beneficiaries can purchase from farmers' markets. Intuitively, it is a good plan – the poor eat more healthful fruits and vegetables because they are demonstrably less expensive. However, it can also be viewed as another tribal approach (e.g. buy America) that skews the market and may not result in the...
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.