General Comments For the second time in two days, markets were disappointed by the lack of specific actions by central banks to combat spreading economic slowdown. Yesterday it was the U.S., after painting a poor picture of the U.S. economy, that did nothing to try to stimulate it. Basically, the Fed repeated that it was prepared to act if action was needed, which is the same message Chairman Bernanke has been sending for the past few weeks. Markets take this as a commitment to do something in September -- perhaps a QE-3 -- if the U.S. economy does not show signs of improvement soon. Nevertheless, there was still disappointment that there was no announcement.After today's meeting following the commitment to do whatever it might take to p...
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
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.