China reported remarkably weak trade numbers for November, underscoring its lingering difficulties with the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a slump in consumption of consumer goods hitting the U.S., European Union, and some rich markets in Asia. Overall, total exports in November fell 8.7% year-on-year to $296.1 billion, more than double the percentage drop that…

Russia’s spring 2022 invasion of Ukraine has shaken up global energy markets and spotlighted how Asia’s demand has rebalanced global oil and gas trade. The shift has highlighted the surging demand of India, the persistent prosperity of Japan, the crucial role of China as a swing trader, as well as the looming transformation of energy…

China’s export machine has started to show deeper cuts from U.S. protectionism. Exports to the U.S. in September dropped 11.5% year-on-year to $50.7 billion, compared to a 3.8% decline in August, and shrinking the trade surplus 14% to $36.1 billion. Overall, Chinese exports increased 5.7% in September to $322.8 billion. Earlier in October, the Biden…

Consumers in the U.S., facing higher prices and lower incomes, are running out of money and have started buying far fewer Chinese imports, a diminishment of expenditures that is now rippling throughout the global economy. This week, China reported exports up 7.1% year-on-year to $314.9 billion in August, falling short of expectations. Analysts had expected…

In the first six months of 2020 and 2021, the Philippines’ top source of dairy products was New Zealand. In 2022, there was a new leader: The U.S. American dairy farmers leapfrogged everybody to become the top supplier of dairy products to the Philippines, a nation of 110 million. Its shipments of dairy products to…

China reported robust trade flows for July 2022. Overall, shipments from the world’s second-largest economy and top exporter rose 18% year-on-year to $333 billion. That was the fastest pace of the year, and beat analysts’ predictions of around 15%, but it’s largely due to rising prices for commodities from coal to soybeans, according to an…

As the global economy recovers fully from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese industrial sector appears to be facing headwinds, according to an analysis by Trade Data Monitor, the world’s premier source of trade statistics. China’s exports grew by 17.9% year-on-year to $331.3 billion, beating analyst expectations. Imports, however, increased by only 1% in June from…

Chinese exports recovered in May, boosted by a tapering off of antivirus restrictions and higher prices in the U.S. and Europe. Overall, Chinese exports rose 16.9% year-on-year to $308.3 billion, after increasing only 3.9% in April. Monthly imports increased 4.1% to $229.5 billion, over the 0.0% figure for April. The performance beat analysts’ expectations for…

The global economy avoided a meltdown 2020-2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic because governments around the world, led by the U.S., printed trillions of dollars for their own citizens, oiling consumer demand and goosing merchandise trade around the world. That steroid is now wearing off, as consumers have spent most of the money they were…

China reduced imports year-on-year in March as the global economy stuttered following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, China shrank imports 0.1% to $228.7 billion. Accounting for the nasty price inflation now starting to bite, that represents a meaningful contraction. To boot, analysts had predicted an increase around 8%.…

With Belarus facing possible sanctions for helping Russia invade Ukraine, it’s worth taking a look at the country’s trade profile. Belarus has a gross domestic product of $62.5 billion, around one-tenth the size of its neighbor Poland. It mainly trades regionally, except for buying consumer products from China, and its small economy means sanctions won't…

The Russian economy is a unique engine, without globally significant manufacturing, but powerful in its capacity to generate fuels, and a handful of valuable natural resources, such as wood, gold, and fertilizers. Here are 10 essential things to know about Russia’s exports: 1. Russia’s top trading partner is China. In 2021, it shipped $68.1 billion…

The prospect of a Russian war in Ukraine has rattled global markets. Russia is a top producer of commodities from grains to diamonds. The concern about Ukraine has mostly revolved around the country’s large agriculture sector. In 2021, the nation of 41.1 million was the world’s fourth biggest cereals exporter, behind only the U.S., Argentina,…

As Vietnam moves up the rankings of most prosperous countries, we’re getting more of a sense of exactly where the nation of 97 million will fit in the global economy. Already, it’s clear that Vietnam is becoming a key manufacturing base for consumer products destined for Europe and the U.S., and an important part of…

One of the big winners in the global economy in 2022 is expected to be Vietnam. The county of 97 million is benefiting from manufacturers moving more factories to its export zones, as well as from an ambitious new regional trade agreement. As Vietnam recovers from Covid, its exports are expected to surge, according to…

For two decades, China’s manufacturing and export sector has seemed to only be going one direction: up. The latest notch: A record trade surplus of $676.4 billion in 2021, up from $524 billion in 2020. Overall for the year, Chinese exports rose 29.9% to $3.4 trillion, the highest total value of goods ever shipped out…

TDM Insight: Top Ten Trade Trends of 2021 Global trade hoisted itself back on track in 2021 after a devastating 2020, and will stabilize itself in 2022, according to the World Trade Organization, and an analysis by Trade Data Monitor, the world’s premier source of trade statistics. Fears about supply chains crumbling and consumers failing…

Chinese imports increased faster than its exports in November, thanks in part to a massive injection of fuel shipments, particularly coal, to cope with recent power outages and fuel shortages. Overall, China increased imports 31.7%, to $253.8 billion, while exports grew 22%, rising to $325.5 billion, cutting the country’s trade surplus with the rest of…

Bottlenecks at U.S. ports have raised the alarm about supply chains, but the manufacture and shipping of essential goods from the U.S.’s biggest supplier of goods are operating smoothly, suggesting that supply chain troubles are easing, according to an analysis by Trade Data Monitor, the world’s top source of trade statistics. Exports from China, by…