World Perspectives

Wishful Thinking; Better Buyers than Sellers; Siloed Market

Wishful Thinking The EU is developing a new trade policy intended to rapidly respond to “coercive measures” by third countries, such as Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, or China’s recent squeeze on tiny Lithuania. The idea is that if foreign countries knew that Brussels could respond more quickly and harshly with its own punitive trade measures, it might prevent adverse actions by adversaries. Maybe. Europe counter-retaliated against Trump tariffs and that was anticipated. Making governance more responsive to fast-moving events is laudable but they must be overwhelmingly large, not comparable, to be preventative. That is why it will take collective western action to prevent Vladimir Putin from taking Ukrai...

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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.

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