Don't Get Fooled Again The corn market took a brief dive on a report that Mexico would ban imports of biotech corn, but it shouldn't have even blinked once. Mexico depends upon the U.S. for about one-third of its corn consumption. Proximity and freight costs make it the best bargain. Although Brazil became the world's largest exporter of corn last year as a result of the drought in the U.S., it is no alternative since, like the U.S., most of Brazil's corn production is biotech after jumping by 33 percent from 2011 to 2012. There is not a good market alternative and so a ban on imports would cause a spike in food costs in a country where over half the population is in poverty. A local judge has ruled against domestic planting of transge...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
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.