Global Trade & Economics

Ocean Cargo Snarls Force Global Commerce to Look Outside the Box

February 23, 2021

An ongoing surge in the cost of shipping goods around the world is prompting manufacturers and their customers to scramble for cheaper solutions.

Chip Crisis Baffles Congress in a World Where U.S. Output Lags

February 22, 2021

Bloomberg

Lawmakers hoping to revitalize U.S. semiconductor manufacturing in response to a global chip shortage will find it tough to do in the near term, even if Congress throws billions in cash subsidies at the problem.

VIDEO

Watch: Freight-Spend and Shipment Trends in Q4 2020

February 18, 2021

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Bobby Holland, vice president and director of freight data solutions with U.S. Bank, reports improved results for the number of freight shipments and amount spent by shippers in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Ocean-Cargo Boom Fuels $10 Billion Spree for New Container Ships

February 17, 2021

Bloomberg

Some of the world’s largest container-shipping lines are ordering new vessels amid surging demand for ocean-cargo services, giving a long-awaited boost to the outlook for shipyards in Asia.

Renewables Are the Only Winners in Historic Decline in Energy Demand

Why It’s So Hard for the Solar Industry to Quit Xinjiang

February 16, 2021

Bloomberg

Chinese solar companies are among 175 around the world that signed a non-binding pledge by a U.S. trade group to avoid forced labor. It will be much harder for them to actually cut ties with Xinjiang, the western China region facing increasing scrutiny for human-rights abuses.

Global Shipping Turmoil Expected to Calm Down by Mid-Year

February 11, 2021

Bloomberg

Trade disruptions that have sent freight rates soaring and overwhelmed major ports may start to ease after the first quarter, Maersk said — disappointing investors but signaling eventual relief for cargo shippers.

VIDEO

Watch: Agriculture Exporters Have a Beef With Ocean Carriers

February 10, 2021

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, describes the “transportation crisis” that exporters are facing today, as they struggle to secure containers for their shipments to Asia.

Bringing the Battery Supply Chain Back Home

Battery Trade Dispute Could Test Biden’s Green Policy Plans

February 10, 2021

Bloomberg

The Biden administration’s first test of its climate change policy could come this week in a legal dispute over battery components seen as key to growing electric vehicle adoption in the U.S.

U.S. and China Are Already Fighting for 6G Dominance

February 9, 2021

Bloomberg

Most of the world is yet to experience the benefits of a 5G network, but the geopolitical race for the next big thing in telecommunications technology is already heating up.

VIDEO

Watch: How Will Automotive Companies Survive the Pandemic?

February 8, 2021

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Thomas Goldsby, professor and Haslam Chair in Logistics in the Supply Chain Management Department of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, discusses the changes in automotive supply chains being wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and shifts in consumer buying habits.