Bye, Bye Bali: Trade ministers meeting outside of the World Economic forum all agreed that they need to arrive at an initial package of trade provisions at the ministerial meeting in Bali late this year, but they are far apart in terms of its content. Some developing nations want preferential access provisions, some developing countries do not want to offer them to other nations; some want solutions that are not forthcoming to agriculture problems. The fundamental problem of the Doha round -- turning WTO trade agreements into preferential trade regimes for economic development purposes -- now permeates the race to be the next director general (DG) of the organization.There are arguments from some candidates to be the next DG that the WTO...
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: 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
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.