During the intense volatility that prevailed in commodity futures markets in 2007, 2008 and again in 2011, it was commonly asserted that the volatility was intensified or even created by the activity of entities having no relationship with the commodities that underlay the futures markets. As the result of such activities, it was charged that the prices of underlying commodities were inflated, thus raising the cost of products produced from the commodities, especially the costs of food and energy.This new breed of market players trading commodity futures included banks, institutional investors, pension funds, sovereign funds created by governments, university endowments and foundations. Also involved were investment funds known as index f...
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 €...
From WPI Consulting
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.