In a twist on the recent Black Sea narratives, CBOT futures were higher overnight after Ukraine attacked Russian port infrastructure in the Crimean Peninsula. Reports came overnight that Russia’s oil export infrastructure in the Novorossiysk port had been attacked by naval drones (presumed to be Ukraine’s). That created a short-lived rally in wheat, corn, and soybeans overnight as headline-reading trading algos reacted to the news. Thereafter, however, futures were generally on the defensive with markets retreating to recent lows amid a lack of other news. Mild short covering did help lift corn and CBOT wheat to a higher close for the day as traders are again reluctant to be short over the weekend with weather trends likely to d...
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.