Worker Centric Paradox The Biden Administration has called for a “worker centric” trade policy but USTR Katherine Tai is complaining about a dearth of data to support the initiative. The old metric was an assumption that each $1 billion in trade supports 30,000 workers, and that trade related jobs paid more than other types of employment. But the Administration’s goal is to increase worker “rewards” from trade, a metric that is contradicted by economics. Labor is typically the most expensive component in all commerce. To be internationally competitive, the goal is to deliver greater value, which usually means reducing the labor cost component. Expanding trade can increase the return to labor but focusing simpl...
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
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.