President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, the first direct conversation since March. However, it is expected to be a confidence building effort rather than more critical attacks. Basically, Beijing has helpfully avoided provocative moves in support of Russia, and Washington wants to avoid pushing China and Russia closer together. Bilateral trade issues remain important but there is a realpolitik that neither side is going to change the other anytime soon. The U.S. could reciprocate for China’s forbearance in terms of Russia by assuring that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) will not be going to Taiwan. President Biden may also provide his counterpart with an early warning about...
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.