The tactical standoff between the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House continued into today. The Senate held a vote on requiring attendance on the floor to consider the FY 2014 continuing resolution that would fund the government to 15 December as passed by the House, except for the provision to defund Obamacare. This is the legislation that has been volleyed back and forth between the two chambers, variously dropping and adding the House amendment to defund the Affordable Care Act. In the meantime, the Senate is planning to move on today to debate the debt ceiling increase.For its part, the House has passed a number of micro-appropriations bills. As we have written previously (Ag Perspectives 4 October), the Hou...
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: 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...
Markets are getting into the Halloween spirit, handing out more tricks than treats. There has been some encouraging news, but it hasn’t been enough to slow the broader slide. Now buyers need to show up with something other than another “Charlie Brown” rock for the bag. Somethi...
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.