Early signs indicate a substantial effect on frozen U.S. beef exports to Japan as the one of the largest U.S. beef destinations looks to other suppliers. Late July, Japan announced that they would be using a safeguard measure that allows for raising tariffs should...
We called it a new HS code for Tesla – the new Harmonized System tariff code that distinguishes lithium-ion batteries imported to run electric vehicles from all the rest of Li-Ion batteries destined for digital devices, appliances and power tools. But, of course,...
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...
Russian consumers will likely top the list of losers under Moscow’s one-year ban on all meat, fish, poultry, dairy, fruit and vegetables imports from the US, the EU, Canada, Australia, and Norway, effective August 7, 2014. Or, as the New York Times put it, Russia...
After stumbling earlier this year, US footwear imports stepped up in May, continuing a positive growth that began in April, the trade data shows. While China remains the leading country of origin, it continues to cede share to Vietnam as shoemaking shifts to...
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist Chemcost’s approach to global price discovery is based on the theory that volumes shipped point the way to competitive pricing. Call it a volume-centric approach. And we typically find in using this approach that global shipment...
It’s a textbook case in the need to diversify sources of supply: The US imports about 97% of its limes from Mexico and, right now, limes are a scarce and expensive commodity in Mexico. Disease and bad weather have combined to reduce crop yields, shortages have boosted...
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist This is not another April Fool’s story. Finding what we at Chemcost Interactive* call “The New Cheap” – the markets that offer the lowest prices for chemicals commodities – takes digging into the data on global buying and selling...
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist As promised last time, Chemcost’s search for “The New Cheap”* changes course this month and heads south to Brazil. What we find is that Brazil’s trade in the 10 chemical commodities that make up Datamyne’s US Best Price Benchmark...
There might have been a chance that Lululemon’s decision to return the too-sheer pants it had recalled in March to stores in October as “Second Chance Pants” would be judged a brave (if misguided) attempt to snatch merchandising victory from the jaws of a marketing...
