28th February 2017

The speed the sourcing environment's changing, you'd think this is a good time for a new strategy. You'd be wrong. No-one knows yet how Britain's options will develop On February...

16th February 2017

The world sadly lacks a simple word for the immense wave of complications caused by the Trump election, Brexit and all the likely knock-ons from them both. Here's our suggestion....

14th February 2017

A possibly unscripted February 13 remark by Donald Trump might indicate he wants to break up NAFTA, not merely renegotiate it. At a press conference for the Washington visit of...

4th February 2017

US Congressional Republican leaders made their pitch on February 1 and 2 for handling NAFTA renegotiation and border taxes. Trump’s earlier China commitments seem to have disappeared. NAFTA renegotiation Donald...

3rd February 2017

Seemingly endless January trade-related government announcements in the US and UK lacked a single detail businesses could use for planning. So did other government plans just as potentially disruptive to...

31st January 2017

The eleven countries abandoned by the US when it left the Trans Pacific Partnership on January 23 appear seriously divided about what to do next. Beijing continues to suggest their...

15th January 2017

Donald Trump announced on January 14 his abandonment of a central campaign pledge about China. On October 22, he promised that on his first day in office he would instruct...

4th January 2017

I think the biggest event of 2016 for our industry was the outright opposition to international trade on which America’s Republican Party campaigned successfully in the Congressional elections. Most people...

20th December 2016

It’s a safe bet that few readers have paid much attention to the idea of “destination-based” profit taxes. They need to start doing so: right now. Till now, an idea...

9th December 2016

Crucial sourcing commitments by President-Elect Donald Trump came under fire from his own side in early December. At the end of October, Donald Trump made 29 commitments about his immediate...

6th December 2016

I think many of the alleged uncertainties observers forecast for 2017 are badly misconceived. At this time of the year, observers typically start pontificating about the challenges facing businesses in...

1st December 2016

Steven Mnuchin, Donald Trump's nominee as Secretary of the US Treasury, expressed disagreement with Trump's promised China trade policy immediately after his  nomination announcement. The nominations of Mnuchin, formerly a Goldman...