September retail sales rose slightly more than expected and the underlying details of the report were solid. Sales rose 0.4 percent in September versus a consensus expected rise of 0.3 percent, while revisions to the prior months’ activity pushed the overall gain to 0.5 percent. The monthly increase was broad-based with ten out of thirteen major sales categories increasing, and the top category was food service, with the BLS data for sales at “eating and drinking places” up 1 percent. That was the largest increase for the category so far in 2024. Sales were $96.4 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in September; that was $1 billion higher than August’s upward-revised sales volume of $95.4 billion. Over the last year, sales in this...
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
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.