Tag Archives: China

What’s Next for the Chinese Yuan?

On February 17th, in a significant announcement by Chinese authorities, plans to allow domestic trading of Yuan options against other currencies from April onwards were rolled out, with the fundamental aim of assisting Chinese exporters and importers hedge against currency … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

China and its Influence on the Global Rare Earth Metals Market

“The Middle East has its oil, China has rare earth metals.” —Deng Xiaoping, Chinese President (1992) Take an even a cursory look at any major business media today and China’s influence in the minerals and metals commodity markets is inescapable. … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Copper – Primer & Outlook

Copper is regarded as the most valuable of primary base metals, barring nickel, even though it is not the largest base metal market in the world. Indeed, it is considered a barometer for the state of the economy, given its … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Iceland’s Volcanic Ash Cloud and its Impact on Global Trade: A Primer

The volcanic eruption in Iceland has led to a crisis not only for the European air transportation industry, in particular, – disrupting air travel and air cargo operations across northern Europe – but also global commerce overall. The eruption of … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Is it Safe?” The Outlook for Investment in Emerging Markets

There’s a classic scene in the 1976 hit movie, The Marathon Man, in which Laurence Olivier, playing a skilled dentist who is also a Nazi war criminal, is torturing a young Dustin Hoffman. Using his medical know-how and some frightening … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making Sense of Supply Chain Risk

The last 12 months has undoubtedly been one of the most turbulent periods in economic history, with industries (and their constituent companies) across the globe experiencing levels of uncertainty that were unfathomable a mere 24 months earlier. In many respects, … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rethinking China Outsourcing?

It’s amazing what a few short years will do to a country’s rock star status. Not so long ago, China was the outsourcing destination du jour with companies scrambling for the first available business class seat to establish their Asian … Read More…

Tags , , , , , , | Leave a comment