The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled at $20.09/gallon, its lowest level since February 2002, and actually dipped below $20.00/gallon during trading. This makes a mess for blending economics for biofuel use. But there is a bigger problem – or two. First, the bearish oil price is based on collapsed (global) fuel demand and the RFS which mandates biofuel blending is based on volume. Previous oil price drops have been withstood because supply driven oil and gasoline price drops have led to increases in fuel use, and the RINs credits are the implicit support mechanism to biofuel prices. This time, however, is more analogous to the post 9/11 situation where travel and thus fuel use came to a standstill, but that was befor...
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
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.