Multilateral is Dead; Long Live Plurilaterals Former WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said this week that the ability of the organization to achieve any new agreements is thwarted because finding a consensus in Geneva has become “very difficult, if not impossible.” Reinforcing that point and driving a stake into it, India and other developing countries are opposed to modifying in any way the organization’s current mandate that agreements must be based on a 100-percent consensus of all members. In short, there may be future trade agreements, but they will be bilateral or plurilateral and not multilateral. It is time for negotiators in Geneva to accept that fact and pivot their nations’ energies toward the a...
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.