USMCA Delay A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators is asking the Trump Administration to delay the proposed 1 June start date for enforcing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The rationale is that businesses are not ready, and COVID-19 interferes with preparations. The auto industry, for example, says it needs time to interpret new complex rules of origin. Perhaps, but there are counter arguments. Many U.S. business managers are currently not making or selling anything during stay at home orders. They have more free time than usual to consult on the issue and prepare. The auto industry is making ventilators for a single customer – the U.S. government, which is less complex than churning out thousands of vehicles for a large and dispar...
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.