Robinhood: Proving that it is easy to give away other peoples’ money, the United Nations Development Program is proposing the payment of a temporary basic income to 2.7 billion people living in 132 countries at the cost of $199 billion per month. Stating the Obvious: Proving that too many politicians fail to understand basic market economics, there were screams for an investigation into why livestock growers were paid lower prices and meat fabricators received higher prices amidst the COVID-19 crisis. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has stated the obvious: there was no price manipulation, collusion, restrictions of competition, or other unfair practices. Hòu Yán: China violated the 1997 agreement on t...
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.