World Perspectives

Zero but Not Negative Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FMOC) was scheduled to meet on Wednesday of this week, but for the second time it took emergency action prior to the meeting. On Sunday, Chairman Jerome Powell announced a 100 basis point cut to the federal fund rate. This comes after the Fed announced an emergency 50 basis point rate cut on 3 March.  That puts the rate in the range of 0 to 0.25 percent, to where it was lowered in 2008 and stayed until the end of 2015. In his statement Powell generally ruled out negative interest rates like Japan and Europe have had. Back in the fall of 2019, President Trump tweeted several times that the Fed should adopt negative interest rates, or at least get down to zero rates so that the...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: CBOT Bounced on Short-Covering and Positive Export Data

The CBOT turned higher on Monday with positive export data from USDA and a healthy dose of bottom-picking and pre-holiday short covering driving the upside action. Corn was the upside leader for the day as export shipments remain strong with foreign buyers and end-users picking up the purchase...

livestock

Cattle on Feed for Dec 2025

USDA reports U.S. Cattle on Feed down 2 percent in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head to total 11.7 million head on December 1, 2025.  Placements in feedlots during November totaled 1.60 million head, 11 percent below 2024.  Marketings of during November totaled 1.52 million...

WTO Gets Trumped; Novel Remains Unusual; Cheese Diversion

WTO Gets Trumped The WTO was thrown out back on 2 April when President Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs. The tariffs totally violated U.S. obligations under the WTO but the signal was clear that the U.S. would no longer be constrained by any agreements at the WTO. Still, the Administratio...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: CBOT Bounced on Short-Covering and Positive Export Data

The CBOT turned higher on Monday with positive export data from USDA and a healthy dose of bottom-picking and pre-holiday short covering driving the upside action. Corn was the upside leader for the day as export shipments remain strong with foreign buyers and end-users picking up the purchase...

livestock

Cattle on Feed for Dec 2025

USDA reports U.S. Cattle on Feed down 2 percent in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head to total 11.7 million head on December 1, 2025.  Placements in feedlots during November totaled 1.60 million head, 11 percent below 2024.  Marketings of during November totaled 1.52 million...

WTO Gets Trumped; Novel Remains Unusual; Cheese Diversion

WTO Gets Trumped The WTO was thrown out back on 2 April when President Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs. The tariffs totally violated U.S. obligations under the WTO but the signal was clear that the U.S. would no longer be constrained by any agreements at the WTO. Still, the Administratio...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.47/bushel, up $0.0325 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Wheat closed at $5.155/bushel, up $0.0575 from yesterday's close.  Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $10.5325/bushel, up $0.04 from yesterday's close.  Mar 26 Soymeal closed at $301.9/short ton, up $0.8 from y...

Image
From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up