Add climate change to the factors that shape global trade. Along with exchange rates, costs of production, availability of raw materials and market demand, a change in climate can redirect trade flows, raise the price of trade goods and create openings for new...
Pacific Alliance and Mercosur: Moving at Two Speeds?
Latin America’s economy is moving at two speeds, according to BBVA, with the Pacific Alliance gaining ground as Mercosur, the Common Market of the South, slips into reverse in 2015 and on into 2016. In its first-quarter 2016 outlook, the Spanish bank lowers its...
Why That Ice Cream Cone May Cost You (Pricey Vanilla Beans)
No fooling: if you favor plain vanilla, your ice cream cone may cost you more this summer, thanks to pricey vanilla beans. Blame it on last year’s bad crop in Madagascar. As Eater reports, demand for vanilla (among spices, second only to saffron in price) is up while...
Copper Down Cycle Drags on Japan Traders
The copper down cycle has taken a big bite out of the profits of Japan’s trading companies. This morning, Mitsubishi Corp., Japan’s biggest trading house, announced ¥430 billion (US$3.8 billion) in write downs on a list of commodities assets, starting with...
West Coast Ports Cargo Volumes Gain in February
West Coast ports cargo volumes continued their rebound in February, our bill-of-lading trade data shows. Port of Los Angeles import volumes, measured in TEUs (or 20-foot equivalent units), were up 48% in February compared with the same month a year ago. The top ranked...
NVOCC US Import TEU Share Hits 37 Percent
NVOCC US import TEU share reached 37.4% in 2015, a bump up from 2014’s share of 36.0%, and a 10 percentage point gain over 10 years, our trade data shows. Global companies’ confidence that more shippers will be outsourcing their logistics is seen as driving M&A...
All about Alcohol: Infographic on US Liquor Trade
Liquor delivered another year of growth in 2015, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States – or DISCUS. Domestic supplier sales were up 4.1% and volumes up 2.3%. A key driver of growth is demand for American whiskeys – Bourbon, Tennessee and Rye...
Tesla Model S Overseas Shipments Ramp up in 2015
Tesla Model S overseas shipments increased 200% in 2015 over 2014, according to Datamyne waterborne export data, for a total of 19,658 electric vehicles shipped last year compared with 6,539 the year before. Based on the manifests filed by exporters, our data captures...
Datamyne Top 5 Mardi Gras Throw Beads Importers
It’s Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday – the final night of the carnival season before the sober season of Lent. Parade krewes in New Orleans and elsewhere will be tossing, and partiers everywhere will be wearing Mardi Gras throw beads tonight. The US imported 284 containers...
Out of Luck? Chinese Economy in the Year of the Monkey
The Chinese economy – indeed the world economy – is in for a run of bad luck in the Lunar New Year that begins today, according to feng shui master Chen Shuaifu, who shared his forecast with NBC News. Master Chen forecasts a big slide in the world economy: "The global...