According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the trade deficit in goods and services grew slightly to $68.2 billion in December 2020. U.S. exports actually increased, but imports grew faster. The bigger issue is that both exports and imports grew, which means economic activity grew. The U.S. economy and the global economy are starting to return to normal. While two-way trade was down 1.7 percent in January in dollar terms, it was up 1.1 percent over December. Two-way trade is the real measure of economic growth on the trade front. On the topic of imports, the total value of imports in January stood at 5.7 percent greater than pre-COVID February 2020, and 3.2 percent more than January 2020. That’s a sign that the U.S. economy is growing and t...
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
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.