Trade ministers highlighted the precedent this accord sets for future agreements as well as for the Pacific region. Unmentioned but more important at this time is its signal to economic players and financial markets. TPP Soberly Analyzed Negotiators of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) reached agreement at 5:00 a.m. (EDT) this morning after settling on dairy. Following are some broad interpretations:High Quality/21st Century: The marketing language used by negotiators since the beginning of the process has been intended to convey unprecedented ambition and accomplishment. The resulting agreement is more comprehensive than any before it, but it is not without its warts. Some sensitive market access areas gave token openings (Canadian dai...
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.
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...