RSS Feed

Calendar

March 2024
M T W T F S S
« Feb    
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Search

Tag Cloud

Archives

Wall Street Journal (February 6)

2023/ 02/ 07 by jd in Global News

“Today congestion has all but disappeared at U.S. ports, supply chains have almost returned to normal, and freight costs have fallen back to prepandemic levels. But in the aftermath of this disorienting and costly experience, it is critical to ask: What led to such a severe backup and what can be done to prevent a recurrence?” Until there are corrective measures like 24/7 port operation and automated container handling, “the system remains vulnerable to future supply disruptions that will harm the U.S. economy.”

 

U.S. News (August 3)

2022/ 08/ 05 by jd in Global News

“A surge in consumer demand and pandemic-related logjams holding up containers in key ports had boosted freight rates and profits in the shipping industry in recent quarters, yet the cost of living crisis has reversed that trend.” Shipping giant Maersk, which controls 17% of the container shipping market “expects global container demand to fall this year as sales of durable goods come to a ‘standstill.’” Inflation, “dented consumer demand” and the weaker economy “could lead to a normalization of the global shipping market towards the end of the year.”

 

LA Times (October 14)

2021/ 10/ 15 by jd in Global News

President Biden is doing what he can to get the supply chain rolling as he pressures ports to open 24/7. “One of the biggest economic threats is that supply chain bottlenecks and various shortages are sparking higher inflation.” The consumer price index showed year-0n-year inflation jumped 5.4%, “the highest rate in more than a decade.”

 

The Economist (October 9)

2021/ 10/ 10 by jd in Global News

“Spending has come roaring back, as governments have stimulated the economy and consumers let rip. The surge in demand is so powerful that supply is struggling to keep up. Lorry drivers are getting signing bonuses, an armada of container ships is anchored off California waiting for ports to clear and energy prices are spiralling upwards. As rising inflation spooks investors, the gluts of the 2010s have given way to a shortage economy.”

 

Wall Street Journal (September 26)

2021/ 09/ 28 by jd in Global News

“The American supply chain has so far failed to adapt to the crush of imports as businesses rush to restock pandemic-depleted inventories.” At the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, two major shipping gateways, *more than 60 ships are lined up to dock, with waiting times stretching to three weeks.” The obvious fix, switching to 24/7 operations, remains problematic due to a shortage of trucks, storage and workers.

 

Washington Post (October 16)

2019/ 10/ 16 by jd in Global News

A no-deal Brexit has “been compared to “downshifting a car at full speed from fifth gear to first.” The U.K. could lose “continuity of trade relations with many of the 71 nations that have forged preferential trade agreements with the EU.” To date, the U.K. has secured continuity agreements with only about a dozen of these countries and it remains to be seen whether sufficient customs infrastructure will be in place. “Large U.K. businesses like engine-maker Rolls Royce Holdings Plc and brewer Heineken NV have outlined plans to hoard supplies in case a tumultuous Brexit chokes just-in-time supply chains and creates backlogs at ports.”

 

New York Times (September 25)

2018/ 09/ 26 by jd in Global News

Companies are discovering that “quitting China is hard to do” as they look to shift operations to avoid Trump tariffs. “Few places can match China’s convenience and reliability.” Not only is China a near comprehensive source of “the ingredients that go into today’s consumer goods,” it also boasts “a dependable source of workers who know how to hold down factory jobs,” along with “reliable roads and rail lines connecting suppliers to assembly plants to ports.”

 

Bloomberg (March 3)

2017/ 03/ 05 by jd in Global News

There is a “big problem with China’s bridge and tunnel addiction.” It looks unsustainable. “China spent more than $10.8 trillion on infrastructure from 2006 to 2015…. Outlays for roads, airports, ports, railways, and the like rose 17.4 percent last year, far outpacing the country’s 6.7 percent expansion in gross domestic product.” To maintain the pace, Beijing is promoting public-private partnerships (PPP), but these look “unstable.”

 

Los Angeles Times (December 29)

2015/ 12/ 30 by jd in Global News

“In an effort to move more cargo on less fuel, ocean freight carriers are in a race to build megaships with much larger capacities than the typical ships calling at U.S. ports. The average container ship being built now is nearly three times the size of the average a decade ago.”

 

Washington Post (May 27)

2015/ 05/ 28 by jd in Global News

“China is attempting to steal a march on its neighbors by rapidly constructing airstrips, ports and other infrastructure on reclaimed land in one of the most sensitive maritime areas in Asia—one with multiple overlapping sovereignty claims. While it probably cannot be stopped, the project should be fully exposed—and China’s attempts to restrict air and sea traffic near its installations decisively rejected.”

 

« Older Entries

[archive]