The CME Group's announcement yesterday that it would end open outcry pit trading of hard red winter wheat futures and options contracts at the Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBOT) on 28 June was hardly a surprise. The CME Group purchased the KCBOT from its members last year and closed on the purchase last December. As part of the purchase agreement, the CME promised to keep the KCBOT trading floor open for six months. That six-month period is up in June. The CME said it will provide space for open outcry trade of the KCBOT's traditional HRW contracts near the pit where CME's soft red winter wheat contracts are traded through open outcry. According to the CME, this will make open outcry spreading between the two wheat markets easier and more...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
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 €...
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Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.