Monthly Summary April Activity Shows Market Volatility Easing Post Shutdown The novel coronavirus outbreak and lengthy shutdown across China sent the futures markets to new heights in terms of trading activity during the first four months of 2020. For the first quarter, only No. 2 soybeans and cornstarch saw their year-on-year totals for volume, turnover, and open interest decline. The other major commodities, including No.1 soybeans, corn, egg, soymeal, refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein, and soyoil were up by double and triple digits. Through April, the year-on-year trends continued, but on a monthly basis the pace either slowed or decreased. Of the aforementioned commodities, egg, RBD palm olein, No.1 soybeans, and...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.