Tooling Up Yesterday, USTR issued its annual report for 2022 and the President’s 2023 Trade Policy Agenda. The 354-page document will no doubt be read thoroughly by America’s trading partners. One thing they will notice is that USTR likes tools. In fact, the word tool is used 48 times in the report. There are analytical tools, WTO tools, enforcement tools, trade tools, policy tools, information sharing tools, digital tools, online tools, and monitoring tools. USTR says they are using all “available tools” at their disposal, and they have a “full range of tools,” but they need new tools. And they have sought to develop new tools, and they will “create new tools as necessary” but they need to...
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.