The Economist – Page 3
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NewsPut on warm winter clothes
COMMENT: The Game of Thrones aficionados will fully understand the doomsday phrase that “winter is coming,” writes Ben Hackett
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NewsComplacency or wishful thinking both lead to denial
As the global economy faces the prospect of a potential recession, the maritime industry needs a reality check, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsThe good, the bad and the ugly
COMMENT: The global economy is in a flux, not knowing what indicators to believe and trying to gauge the coming of a recession, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsHeading for the rocks
COMMENT: US President Donald Trump announced, in a tweet, that he would raise the 10% tariff on $200bn of Chinese imported goods to 25% and that an additional $325bn of imports would soon be hit with a 25% tariff as well. That about covers all imports from China, writes Ben ...
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NewsSea of change or storm in a teacup?
COMMENT: Shipping companies and ports are currently in somewhat of a quandary; they face criticism that ships are too large or too small, that alliances are harmful to customers and service providers such as ports, that they sail too slow or too fast and that they arrive too late or ...
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Sustained threats to Eurozone growth
COMMENT: Only an optimist will fail to recognise weak growth figures as a skin-of-the-teeth avoidance of recession in parts of Europe, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsBe wary of unjustified optimism
COMMENT: Ports, terminal operators and especially ship owners tend to look for any sign of optimism and then joyously go ahead and invest without paying too much attention to the downsides facing the maritime industry. This is especially true when economic indicators suggest that a recession is around the corner, ...
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Souring trade prospects dent port optimism
COMMENT: As the stock market continues on its rollercoaster ride, the global trade situation is looking increasingly precarious, writes Ben Hackett.
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No end in sight to flat trade growth
COMMENT: I''ve come to the realisation that using economic fundamentals to project trade next year is a futile effort, writes Ben Hackett.
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COMMENT: Spectre of global recession looms
COMMENT: We should not be sanguine about the disarray in the world economic order that is enveloping us, writes Ben Hackett.
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Capacity excess, cargo deficit
COMMENT: Globally there are far too many ports competing for the same clients and not earning enough revenue to cover the infrastructure demands of ever-larger ships, writes Ben Hackett.
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Trade war: an oxymoron?
COMMENT: The world is clearly confused as to whether we definitely/maybe have a trade war on our hands, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsHere cometh the trade war
COMMENT: Donald Trump went to the G7 meeting last month and effectively filed for divorce from Western democratic allies and aligned himself with President Putin. What can we read into this, asks Ben Hackett.
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NewsCan all this optimism be justified?
COMMENT: Demand growth in volume terms remains buoyant at 5.2% in 2017 but does anyone remember the 15%-25% growth rates before the Great Recession, asks Ben Hackett.
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No upside to downward spiral of tariffs
COMMENT: In recent months, global trade projections for 2018 were being upgraded almost as quickly as they were downgraded in previous years. Confidence had returned, and consumers and industry were keen to import and export goods, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsTariff war threat is real
COMMENT: It seems that a sense of madness has descended on the Trump administration and, in response, Europe is joining the madness, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsOvercoming the Davos hype
COMMENT: The 48th meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos from January 23 to January 26 generated a huge amount of optimism about world growth prospects, with business leaders and heads of state falling over themselves to highlight their contributions and views, writes Ben Hackett.
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NewsEconomic growth won't save everyone
COMMENT: World trade is on a roll with growth not seen since 2010 and for a change it is synchronised across all major economies, writes Ben Hackett.
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Forging Chinese connections
COMMENT: Much of the major port and terminal investments over the past ten to fifteen years have been made by private and corporatised companies from the likes of DP World, PSA, ICTSI and SSA Marine, as well as from firms linked to carriers such as APM Terminals (Maersk), Terminal Link ...
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The lemmings are back
COMMENT: The shipping industry is an interesting one; it is one of the least concentrated industries around with far too many players in virtually all sectors, writes Ben Hackett.
