General Comments Facing the risk that the government's cash flow will turn negative tomorrow (17 October) and threats that the U.S. credit rating could be downgraded, Senate leaders have cobbled together a last minute temporary fix that would reopen the government through 15 January and give the Treasury Department fresh borrowing authority through 7 February. The full Senate will almost certainly pass this plan in a vote later today. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has essentially lost control of his Republican majority caucus with its strong Tea Party contingent. However, he may have little choice other than to allow a House vote on the Senate plan tonight. If the House does vote, it is likely to pass with near unanimous support...
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 €...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
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.