Japan Trade Deals Like U.S. agriculture, EU agriculture is hopeful for a trade deal with Japan. EU officials anticipate that a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan will add significantly to the 4.8-billion-euro worth of food already exported there. However, a Japanese trade deal with the U.S. via the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) likely would reverse any of the FTA gains because of the types of products Europe is selling to Japanese consumers. Pork meat, cigarettes and wine are the top three sellers. U.S. pork is around 20 percent less costly, American brand cigarettes dominate the import market and New World wines are growing faster globally than European vino. The Japanese market is coveted by all agricultural exporters, but all of...
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 €...
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