As investors bet on the future of gasoline fueled automobiles, palladium trade is on the rise, and with it the price of this precious metal. The price of palladium has surged 39% so far this year, making it the leading contender for the title of best performing...
US Apparel Imports Gain in April but Continue Long-term Slide
US apparel imports posted a 1.77% gain in April over March, but were down -4.94% compared with the same month a year ago, our data shows. Hard to call April’s positive result the start of a rebound: As Sourcing Journal reports, weak demand and muted growth remain the...
Mercosur’s Falling Currencies Failing to Lift Exports
One benefit of a weakening currency should be exports priced to move in the global marketplace. So the slide in value of, for example, Brazil’s real should be translating into rising exports. But that’s not happening in Brazil or other key emerging markets that the...
Happy Bastille Day!
More than champagne and perfume ... the leading French imports in the US are turbojets, airplanes and other aircraft. Although, as we've noted before, France is the leading source for US imports of wine and spirits. Here are the top 15 US imports from France: Happy...
J.Crew Brought Low by a Cropped Sweater
Tossing aside the Head of Women’s Design for the J.Crew brand and trimming 175 from the payroll, the J.Crew Group last week announced alterations aimed at “critical improvements to our J.Crew women’s assortment including fit, design aesthetic and styling.” As Business...
Asking for More: South Korean Trade with South America
Last month, South Korean President Park Geun-hye wound up a four-nation swing through South America in search of expanded trade and economic cooperation. In Colombia, Park pressed for ratification of the pending free trade agreement (approved by Colombia’s Congress...
Happy World Malbec Day!
April 17, 1853, is remembered as the day Argentina took its first official steps toward establishing a national viticulture based on carefully selecting and cultivating varietals from France and Italy that ultimately produced Argentina’s iconic wine, Malbec. More than...
Whiskey, whiskey: Top US distilled spirits import, export
Whiskies led US distilled spirits import-export trade with the rest of the world in 2014, with bourbon dominating US whiskey exports, and Scotch & Irish whisky (spelled without the ‘e’) the top US import in this product category. The US leads the world in imports...
US Almond Exports Volume Down, Value Up in October
Our latest trade data confirms that the California drought’s toll on almond harvests has resulted in decreased export volumes – down nearly 13% in October compared with the same month a year ago. At the same time, the shortage appears to have driven up prices enough...
US-India Trade Relations: “Forward Together”
Earlier today, US Trade Representative Michael Froman surveyed recent progress toward liberalizing trade achieved by India and the US in a speech to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Froman is in New Delhi to co-chair with India’s Trade...