International Agency Capture Regulatory capture occurs when a policymaker or regulator is co-opted to serve the interests of a minor constituency. That capture has now occurred to two international agencies, the WTO and the IEA. The WTO is dysfunctional because it has been recast as a development agency rather than a promoter of increased global trade. The latest international body to be subjugated is the International Energy Agency. Instead of fostering energy security from all possible sources, it is singularly focused on championing renewables and climate action. It continues to predict the end to coal even as the fundamentals show that its use will only continue to rise. Running Out of Crap The policy energy failure by Germany...
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.