Trade & Supply Chain

Multinational corporations lobbied hard for preferential agreements under proposed Asian and European trade pacts. But the result may be more than they bargained for.

Earning a profit making food has become harder thanks to the sluggish global economy and unpredictable raw material costs. A new study by Paris-based management consultancy Solving Efeso finds that the volatility of commodity prices has risen 9% to 20% ...

LOCATION: LONDON, UK Global Finance held its Best Trade Finance Banks 2014 ceremony during the BAFT global annual meeting in London in January. Corporate and financial leaders from around the world were present to accept their awards and honor other ...

THE TRADE CONUNDRUM By Antonio Guerrero Do open-door trade policies provide greater long-term benefits? Or is protectionism worth the costs? Brazil and Mexico have taken completely different routes when it comes to foreign trade. And the results are telling. Brazil’s ...

NEWSMAKERS By Anita Hawser One woman who worked hard to ensure that the wheels of global trade kept turning, even in the midst of the global financial crisis, was Bonnie Galat, global head of business development for trade and supply ...

STAR PERFORMERS By Anita Hawser Over the past six years transaction banking has been one of the best performers in an otherwise lackluster banking sector. Even in the midst of a global financial crisis, suppliers and salaries still need to ...

When president Obama shared with the American public his policy vision for the next year in his State of the Union address, it was a unique opportunity to educate the nation on its international trade challenges, including the current trade ...

MILESTONES By Forrest Jones Few things polarize policymakers like free-trade agreements, especially the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) linking the United States, Canada and Mexico. Critics of the agreement feared it meant jobs and industries would relocate to underdeveloped ...

Jump To See Winners ANNUAL SURVEY: TRADE FINANCE BECOMES AN ASSET CLASS Global Finance presents its annual awards for the Best Trade Finance Institutions globally, regionally, and by country. The outlook for the trade finance business in 2014 is rosy, ...

MILESTONES   By J.R. Brandstrader   Transatlantic investment was hurt by the recent global financial and eurozone sovereign debt crises, but America’s heartland still has eyes for Europe.   Johns Hopkins’s Center for Transatlantic Relations in Washington, DC, found that, ...

NEWSMAKERS   By Valentina Pasquali   US retail giant Wal-Mart is going for tradition and loyalty in selecting its new CEO and president. In an effort to strengthen its bottom line at a time when the industry is in a ...

RISK MANAGEMENT   By Andrew Osterland   As companies expand their supply chains globally, the hazards they face—from extreme weather events to political upheavals—expand too. Managing such risks comprehensively beats rolling the dice.   The lure of fast-growing markets and ...

Yanukovych: Taking the soft option ( Roland Goodman ) The Ukraine in December secured a $15 billion bailout from Russia, along with a promise that the price for Russian gas imports will by slashed by about one-third. So, is this ...

For Pemex, a crude awakening A steady, year-long stream of institutional and economic reforms in Mexico is about to end with a gusher: For the first time in 75 years, foreign energy companies will almost certainly be allowed to pump ...

Azevêdo: Organization man Remember the days when accession to the World Trade Organization was seen as an admittance ticket into the global economy, a prize hugely desired by China and other developing nations? Things have changed slightly in recent years, ...

American and foreign manufacturers alike are investing billions of dollars all across the United States, as the world’s most competitive economy shows tantalizing signs of recovery. Rising labor costs in other parts of the world means reshoring is gathering pace.

Is Basel III to blame for the $425 billion shortfall in trade finance in developing Asia? Some observers think so, but others say trade finance needs to go back to basics.

As third-quarter profits plunged 44%, US heavy equipment-manufacturer Caterpillar slashed its 2013 profit forecast for the third quarter in a row. Caterpillar is being hit with lower demand in nearly all its major business sectors, but about three-quarters of the drop in sales were the result of lower sales of mining equipment.

There is a new definition of the emerging markets and their characteristics that confutes many old and accepted axioms; for example, the idea that the cost of labor is cheaper in developing countries, or that governance is more advanced and regulations are more enforced in developed countries.

Our 2013 Winners discuss the awards and the current state of play in their industries.