Dissecting China Asian financial analyst Stewart Paterson presented his new book, China, Trade and Power, at the free trade-focused Center for Strategic and International Studies last week. In the book, he argues that the West was unprepared for the impacts of China’s accession into the WTO and must now employ market-rebalancing mechanisms. Western government motives were noble (political change in China) even if unrealized, while Western multinational corporate goals were a bit more self-serving. For China, the result would be foreign direct investment, acquisition of technological know-how, and export markets. Paterson calls the result the largest labor and regulatory (Chinese pollution) arbitrage in history. It is now hard to ima...
What You Need to Know Today: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured reelection on Sunday, defeating right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro despite trailing in the first round of voting. The surprise victory triggered a sharp selloff in Brazilian financial market...
The 2026 midterm elections are a week from tomorrow, but early voting has been taking place for weeks. At stake is control of Congress, including the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are contested, and the Senate, where approximately one-third of the seats are up for election. Farm...
Key Takeaways: Total U.S. crop acres (excluding hay) are forecast to expand fractionally this year due to greater oilseed crop and winter wheat plantings. One of the key drivers of this year’s crop outlook is input costs, and crops with a lower cost profile have an advantage in producers...
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.