The U.S. Commerce Department is doubling the tariff on softwood lumber imported from Canada to 18.32 percent. The hike is coming at a time of record lumber prices in the U.S. and a growing housing shortage. The tax hike will hurt American consumers more than it will help U.S. forestry workers since demand exceeds supply. China intends to put price controls on corn and other commodities to protect consumers. Producers will still receive guaranteed minimum prices, but intermediaries will not be able to charge higher prices. Typically, supply shortages are created when prices are held artificially low, but that assumes a market economy. China recently expressed interest in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific...
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.