The new floating Egyptian pound is likely to slow markets in the near term as traders and end-users adjust... Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt The biggest news in the MENA region this week is the Egyptian government’s action in floating the Egyptian pound (EGP). The EGP/USD seems to have settled between 15.5-16/1 which is an amazing change from the near 9/1 rate last week. The government’s first move put the EGP/USD rate at 13/1 but with the black market rate closer to 18/1 the government’s initial action did not hold and the EGP was allowed to float. One suspects the only people happy with the floating pound will be the IMF, which had been pushing for significant financial change before finalizing the pending U...
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.
What You Need to Know Today: A third U.S. border crossing (Columbus, New Mexico) has reopened to Mexican cattle imports following nearly two years of restrictions related to New World screwworm. The reopening could gradually improve feeder cattle availability, although more than 60 confi...
Yesterday, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a new report of negotiated cash purchases of cattle under the mandatory price report. The report included Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. The goal of the report was to solve the confidentiality issues e...
Key Takeaways: U.S. soybean crushing began in 1911 and saw its most rapid expansion during the 1930s amid the broader agricultural and technology revolutions of the time. After peaking in the early 2000s, the soybean crushing industry went through a downturn as poor crush margins forced...