One of the great things about Datamyne’s data assets is that you can dig into the transactions that underlie the statistics – and profiles of the parties to the trade. The market shift in US pineapple imports (see Fresh, Not Canned) led us to the bill-of-lading data...
Fresh, Not Canned: Changing Tastes Shape Pineapple Trade Trend
US consumers are losing their taste for canned foods, according to Euromonitor International. As Business Week reports, while the recession gave lower-cost canned foods a reprieve, the long-term trend has been a steady decline in retail sales of canned, jarred and...
Follow-up on Shutdown’s Impact on US Imports: New Trade Data
Frankly, we didn’t think the US federal government shutdown would last this long. Anecdotal information is that imports are arriving at US ports and being processed by Customs, but delays in moving shipments out of port facilities are just beginning (see Bloomberg,...
Will Shutdown Hit Imports? Keep an Eye on Bill of Lading Data
It’s too soon to tell whether and to what extent the US federal government shutdown will impact US imports. But it’s not too soon to start keeping track. Here’s what our bill of lading data shows about the volume of trade through four major ports October 1 through 5...
Opportunities to Buy at Bargain Chemical Prices Rise as Rupee Falls
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist Our search for “The New Cheap”*, which took us to China in August and South Korea in September, now leads us to India, where declines in the value of the rupee against the US dollar should set the stage for attractively priced...
Chemicals Price-Setter: South Korea
On the trail of “The New Cheap*” Chemcost finds an opportunity to save on precipitated silica | by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist. Chemicals buyers – in whatever country they are based – can economically benefit from discontinuous price opportunities, wherever...
Apple Season
It’s time to watch US import data for signs that new Apple products are ready for picking. The Loop reports that Apple has sent out invitations to an event on September 10 at the company’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Cue the rumors that a new iPhone is about to...
Where Is “the New Cheap”*?
Chemcost embarks on a global hunt for the best prices for chemicals to be had by China, and by the US | by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist. The Datamyne US Best Price Benchmark created each month by Chemcost, based on Datamyne trade data, provides a global context...
What Secret Shipments Reveal
… and other tips on gleaning chemicals price information from EU aggregate trade data | by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist This July, Datamyne introduces US Best Price Benchmark© for chemical commodities, a monthly index of the best prices across global markets...
High Price of Low-Cost Apparel
Retailers face tough choices after the latest Bangladesh factory tragedy. The collapse of the New Wave Style factory near Dhaka is being compared to New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire just over 100 years ago – a deadly industrial disaster that roused...