Descartes adds market research geared to the global trade finance marketplace to help companies reduce risk and discover new business potential. Trade finance is central to the flow of goods. It is trade finance that makes it possible for importers, exporters,...
Hurricane Harvey Disrupts Trade as Record Rains Hit Texas Coast
Examining the Strategic Role of Affected Deep-water Ports As of today (August 30), it’s too soon to gauge Hurricane Harvey’s impact, let alone target dates for recovery. Even as the rains eased in Corpus Christi (near the hurricane’s landfall) and Houston, Harvey has...
Pattern of Deceit: How Trade Data Can Track Counterfeiting
Trade data can track counterfeiting schemes as well as legitimate buying and selling in the global market place. Attorney Carlos Rodriguez, a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP, describes how in a white paper on a current “Paradigm Shift in Anti-Counterfeiting...
Esri Story Maps Picture LA-LB Port Slowdown Data
Our partners at Esri have used their GIS (geographic information systems) software to create a series of interactive story maps illustrating the impact of the West Coast ports’ slowdown during the dispute over terms of a new longshoremen’s contract. The old contract...
China Surpassing US in Chemicals Sales
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist When I began writing this column in 2013, I focused on China as a source of better-priced chemicals. I took note then of a 2011 Deloitte forecast that China was on the verge of surpassing the US in total chemicals sales. Time to...
Fasten Your Seatbelts for Turbulence in Chemicals Prices
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist In September’s column, we compared first-quarter with second-quarter best and average prices for the basket of 10 chemical commodities that make up the Datamyne US Best Price Benchmark (posted to the Datamyne homepage). This...
Chemical Price Storm Clouds on the Horizon?
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist The Chemcost search for the new cheap in US chemicals continues … even as chemical price storm clouds appear to be gathering. We’ve compared first-quarter with second-quarter best and average prices for the 10 chemical...
Can Entrepreneur Barbie Rev up Sales for Mattel?
With 150 careers under her (very tiny) belt, Barbie is becoming an entrepreneur. Outfitted with a business-savvy wardrobe and accessories, Entrepreneur Barbie is making a bid for relevance in a market whose consumers keep getting older younger and abandoning their...
Brazil’s In-Balance Trade Offers One Sweet Saving Opportunity
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...
Asian Opportunity: Chemicals Priced 58% below US Benchmarks
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist Chemcost’s search for “The New Cheap”* has taken us to China, South Korea and India over the last few months. This month, we have broadened our scope to take in Asia and – as illustrated in Chart 1 below – discovered that Asian...