General Comments It was a relatively peaceful trading day today compared to what has gone on the past several trading sessions. This concludes the first full week of the 21-hour trading days, and you certainly don't find much enthusiasm for the changes. The majority of the trading volume continues to take place between the traditional hours of 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. CDT. The CME did announce that starting on 12 June the pit trading session will open at 7:20 a.m. on the mornings of key USDA reports. Pit trading will continue to close at 1:15 p.m. There has been some talk that might shift to 2 p.m. when the Globex closes. That would make some sense, but it doesn't seem like that will happen.Markets were "green" all day with the exception o...
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
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.