Bilateral Postponed A planned consultation between China and the U.S. scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed, reportedly due to a scheduling conflict. The discussion was supposed to focus on the six-month status of the Phase One agreement, which has thus far failed to impress its American critics. On the one hand, it is a perfunctory meeting and could get outcompeted for time by other events. China has stepped up its purchasing and that also buys some time to focus on other matters. On the upside, some in the trade feared the planned discussion could raise tensions and so it at least kicks that possibility down the road. Seasonal Politics Yesterday’s virtual hearing between Trump Administration trade officials and U.S. fru...
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.