The Nikkei is reporting that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement could entail uniform tariffs on agricultural trade across all 12 countries with bilateral negotiations on quota sizes and above quota tariff rates. However, there is a more important outcome. Liberalizing Futures There are many uncertainties in the year ahead, including lower commodity prices and disparate economic growth around the world. One irritation particularly for some Asian countries is the fact that they are major consumers and yet commodity prices are largely determined in foreign places like Chicago. India, which has always viewed futures as dangerous speculators' fuel, has suggested a more facilitative policy. Now China is going to allow foreign i...
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.
What You Need to Know Today: The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 3.75 to 4.0 percent Wednesday, with two officials dissenting in favor of a 25-basis-point increase. The Fed upgraded its assessment of economic growth from "solid" to "strong" but adopted a more patient approa...
Key Takeaways: Expected growth in U.S. soybean crushing capacity and output, driven by biofuel demand, will increase domestic soymeal supplies, with production growth significantly outpacing demand. WPI forecasts soymeal production increasing from 65.8 million short tons in 2026/27 to 70.5 mil...
WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “How To”...