To state the obvious, corn and soy futures markets reacted to the flash drought with a vigorous weather premium rally that peaked yesterday, then paused to take a breath today. The current short-term heat wave, displaying some of the hottest temperatures of the summer in the Corn Belt, has joined with the ongoing precipitation deficit in western and central portions of the Belt that has been dubbed the flash drought. Because the maturity of Midwest crops has been lagging ever since so much of them were planted late, the current heat combined with the lack of moisture has hit with potentially greater negative impact on crop yields, especially for soybeans, than might otherwise be expected in late August.Actually, the Midwestern drought is...
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.