A recent S&P credit-rating report on the end-of-life of the U.S. merchant marine fleet over the next few years read more like an obituary than a financial analysis: "Weak credit quality, challenging capital market conditions and reduced access to government-guaranteed loans could spell doom for many U.S. shipowners," said S&P analyst Funmi Afonja.

According to Interpol, the return on investment for counterfeiting pharmaceuticals can be over 20 times more than the return on dealing illegal drugs. In addition to making more money, counterfeiters usually face relatively lower penalties if caught.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s probe of possible bribery in Mexico may prompt executive departures and steep U.S. government fines if it reveals senior managers knew about the payments and didn't take strong enough action, corporate governance experts said.

Buy low, sell high. Pretty simple. But a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court tests whether manufacturers can prevent retailers from buying their products for the lowest price simply by, for example, printing the labels for the products outside the United States.

The market for RFID transponders, readers, software and services will generate $70.5bn from 2012 to the end of 2017. The market was boosted by a growth of $900m in 2011 and the market is expected to grow 20 percent year over year per annum. Government, retail, and transportation and logistics have been identified as the most valuable sectors, accounting for 60 percent of accumulated revenue over the next five years.

Following the announcement by President Barack Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will enter into force May 15, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said the benefits of the pact will be huge.

One of the most common mistakes that companies make when they enter into cloud and SaaS contracts is failing to negotiate exits from the contract as fully as they negotiate entries.

Zepol Corp. has introduced a pair of enhancements to its flagship trade-intelligence tool, TradeIQ. The changes make it easier to search for and extract precise trade data for U.S. importers and shippers, and to notify parties.

Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.2 percent in April compared with the same month last year, and year-over-year gains should continue through the end of summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.