A dockworkers strike is days away. What would it mean for the economy?

The deadline for negotiations between the union representing dockworkers and the ports is next week.
Wesley Lapointe for The Washington Post via Getty Images

There's a logic to the chaos of the global supply chain

Jun 14, 2024
Peter Goodman of The New York Times discusses the complex inner workings of our fragile system and why it broke down during the pandemic.
Increasing resilience would be costly and reduce profitability at many supply chain businesses, author Peter Goodman explains. Above, shipping containers at the Port of Oakland in California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As war and drought throttle supply chains, importers reopen pandemic playbooks

Jan 29, 2024
Firms that import goods are returning to pandemic-era strategies to brace their businesses against delays and higher shipping costs.
Because of ongoing delays, some importers are stocking up on goods and passing along price hikes.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Olive oil prices climb amid drought, heat in Mediterranean

Sep 19, 2023
Weather extremes have threatened global olive oil supplies for the second year as the appetite for EVOO grows in the U.S.
Unfavorable conditions in growing regions have driven up olive oil prices in the U.S. and may open opportunities for American agriculture.
Carlos Gil/Getty Images

Supply chain snarls finally show signs of easing

Oct 18, 2022
A combination of slowing demand and better management means ports aren't as backed up as they used to be.
Congested ports and exorbitant shipping prices are beginning to cool from pandemic highs.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

What was the main driver of inflation from 2019-21?

Aug 25, 2022
A New York Fed economist says 60% of inflation was driven by demand for goods, and 40% was from supply-side issues that magnified that higher demand.
Without the supply chain bottlenecks we've experienced, we might have seen 6% inflation at the end of last year, instead of 9%, a New York Fed economist posits.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Supply chains are still disrupted, corporate economists report

Jul 25, 2022
A record-high percentage of firms are facing supply shortages, the National Association for Business Economics found, and most are passing cost increases om to customers.
There are more new cars available to consumers, but it's more because of slowing demand than easing supply chain issues.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Port congestion is easing. But supply chain congestion isn't going away soon.

Jun 10, 2022
China’s COVID-19 lockdowns, which shut down much of the country’s manufacturing and exports, are partly to blame.
President Joe Biden addressed was at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday. Though the port is clearing, the bottlenecks may not be over yet.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Companies reroute cargo away from Russian rail network

Mar 16, 2022
It could put extra pressure on global shipping and force companies to raise prices.
Some goods with high price margins, like computers and car parts, typically travel between China and Europe by rail. Above, a freight train rolls through a forest in Poland.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

New supply chain worries emerge as China races to contain omicron

Jan 18, 2022
About 20 million people are in lockdown under China's zero-COVID policy, and economic disruptions may be ahead.
Lockdowns could affect the operations of the tech industry and Chinese ports.
Jade Gao