The months-long lockdown in Shanghai, China’s most populous city and home to the world’s largest container port, is causing a pile-up of ships at anchor off the Chinese coast. Factory shutdowns and the reduced flow of goods from the city’s port will cause another jolt to U.S. supply chains in the weeks ... READ MORE >
China
This week in energy: Global shortage, Canada fossil fuels, Northam conference hot topics
In this week's energy industry analysis, we take a look at the continuing global energy crunch, what the increased demand for fossil fuels means for Canada, and highlights from the Northam Energy Capital Assembly conference. Here's the latest. 1. Energy shortage The global energy crunch continued this ... READ MORE >
China reacts to energy crunch with coal price reform
The global energy crunch continues, marked by surging commodity prices and building speculation around supply. This week, eyes are on China—the world’s largest exporter of goods—as the country grapples with ongoing shortages and their ripple effect across the nation’s economy and key commodities, ... READ MORE >
China’s economic power: You may not like it, but you cannot ignore it
The pandemic, infrastructure and climate change policies will likely take precedence over trade in the Biden administration’s near-term agenda, but the new president’s trade positions will also be a key area of focus as the United States works toward economic recovery. China’s importance in global trade ... READ MORE >
What’s the latest in U.S.-China trade?
China recently signed a regional trade agreement – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – with 14 other Asia-Pacific countries. Touted as the world’s largest regional free trade agreement, it includes countries that make up 30% of the world’s gross domestic product. But it does not ... READ MORE >
Coronavirus impact on the consumer products ecosystem
Supply chain In a very short period of time, the COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on economies throughout the world and across all industries and sectors. The earliest stages of the U.S. consumer supply chain are heavily dependent upon China. That means the work stoppage caused by the virus ... READ MORE >
For apparel industry, optimism over China trade deal gives way to concerns over virus outbreak
When middle market fashion and apparel leaders weighed moving production from China after the onset of tariffs in the second half of 2019, a global virus outbreak probably wasn’t part of the equation. Nonetheless, companies that elected to keep sourcing from China are faced with a new wave of ... READ MORE >
Economics of a global health crisis
Global economic markets' reaction to China’s coronavirus has been severe, resulting in a significant safe-haven move into U.S. government securities by international investors. Whether the virus has a lasting impact on the broader global economy depends largely on the ability of the world’s major ... READ MORE >
Trade war takes dangerous turn toward currency wars: What could happen next?
Chinese fiscal and monetary authorities permitted the yuan early this week to slip below the important psychological level of 7 to the dollar for the first time since 2008. It was a retaliatory measure by China against President Trump’s threat to impose an additional 10% tariff on $300 billion in Chinese ... READ MORE >
What constitutes a trade war? You’re looking at it
Many who have watched the growing trade dispute between the United States and China, the world's largest trading partners, have been fast and loose with terminology since tensions began to heat up in early 2018. While we have remained cautious, now there is no mistake: A trade spat initiated by the ... READ MORE >