CFTC Funding Issue A House Appropriations Subcommittee has slashed funding of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by 12 percent for 2013. CFTC Commissioner Gary Gensler complains that his agency is overseeing a substantially larger market with just 10 percent more staff than it had in the 1990s. To some degree, both sides are correct. Absolute staff numbers are a poor metric because information technology or automation trumps labor. At the same time, the agency is being asked to write new regulations and construct oversight procedures that require high initial human involvement. The goal by Republican legislators to cut the agency's funding is not about efficiency but rather slowing the rule-making effort. Where Capitalism is Welcome...
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: 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
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.