Initial unemployment claims topped 1 million for the second week in a row after previously declining below that psychological line. Total initial claims were 1,006,000, which was still almost 9 percent lower than the week before but not as good as had been hoped for a couple of weeks ago. This provides the backdrop to the next round of COVID relief as the election nears. Right now, the Democratic leadership in the House and the Republican leadership in the Senate along with the White House are at a complete stalemate. The House has already passed a $3.4 trillion bill; the Senate has unveiled a $1.1 trillion bill. The Senate says the House bill is too much; the House says the Senate bill is too little. So, the House leadership pared down t...
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.