General Comments Today's grain and soy futures markets turned more active than might have been expected on the day prior to USDA's very important November WASDE. The weekly export sales report was one reason for the elevated volume. The report showed another week of sales of corn and the soy complex. Corn sales netted out at 1.719 MMT. The trade was expecting corn sales to top 1 MMT, but today's sales volume far exceeded those expectations. Soybean sales were also over 1-1.018 MMT to be precise. Meal sales of 287,800 MT and soyoil sales of 65,900 MT were also quite good. Wheat sales totaled 416,800 MT of old crop and 11,000 MT for 2014/15. Wheat sales were about as expected, but they do seem to suggest that wheat's export sales have be...
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.