The second Trump administration has roiled global markets in just its first few weeks in office, with some of the biggest impacts coming from the application of tariffs against major trading partners. These tariffs have, as expected, been met with retaliation from Canada, Mexico, and China. Further complicating the global trade outlook has been China’s move to retaliate against tariffs from other non-U.S. trading partners, most notably Canada. As a major importer (and often the largest for a given product), China’s retaliatory tariffs against two major suppliers are of key interest to WPI readers. Some of these tariffs have been highly publicized and target markets with which WPI readers are already familiar (e.g., soybean...
What You Need to Know Today: The U.S. dollar continued to strengthen Thursday as persistent inflation reinforced expectations for additional Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. Higher Treasury yields have helped support the dollar, potentially reducing the competitiveness of U.S. agricultural...
In yesterday’s WASDE, USDA reduced its overall red meat and poultry production forecast for 2026 as declines in beef and broiler output more than offset increases in pork and turkey production. Fourth-quarter beef production was revised downward because of slower fed cattle marketings and...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk freight markets were stronger this week, but the rally was uneven and due to divergent dynamics across basins and vessel classes. Panamax markets were broadly higher, but Atlantic grain demand was primarily responsible while Asian activity was subdued. That trend...
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.