There is a debate over how much the coronavirus experience will impact international trade and globalization. On the one hand, dependence on supply chains that easily get broken and cross-contamination from international travel informs the negative side of the equation. On the other side are all of the economic benefits of global specialization and cultural integration. The genie is unlikely to be put back into the bottle, but it could change the landscape. For example, Japan is using the coronavirus experience to argue for more members in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP). The experience in Japan with greatly disrupted existing supply chains is the need to diversify them further away from Chi...
What You Need to Know Today: The U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes, with the U.S. hitting Iranian bridges, energy sites, and military infrastructure. Iran launched a missile into Kuwait that damaged a desalination plant. Crude oil futures surged on heightened Middle East tensions, providing supp...
Congress returned this week from its Fourth of July recess, with another break scheduled for the month of August, to face a busy agenda before adjourning for the August recess. Congress has several priorities, including the National Defense Authorization Act, a potential third reconciliation pa...
There was a time, not so long ago, when you could easily explain U.S. agricultural policy. It was countercyclical and focused on risk management, especially for traditional row crops. There were a few exceptions, like dairy and sugar, which maintained the remnants of supply control. Participati...
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.