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How the shipping container revolutionized freight and trade

Nov 23, 2021
Before the shipping container, goods were manually loaded into barrels and wooden creates.
Malcolm McLean realized it didn’t make sense to put entire trucks on a ship, so he came up with the container system.

The president is about to lose a little bit of power

Jun 30, 2021
The trade promotion authority expires July 1. What is it, and why is President Joe Biden letting it lapse?
On July 1, President Joe Biden will lose the trade promotion authority, a power that has come and gone for presidents.
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

Brexit border controls disrupt Northern Ireland business, provoke pro-British backlash

Mar 29, 2021
Post-Brexit trade friction makes some citizens in the province feel like foreigners in their own country.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was meant to effectively keep the province in the EU but has led to unintended consequences.
Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

British "booze cruise" to France dialed back under new trade rules

Feb 16, 2021
The pandemic has limited travel in Europe. But once it starts up again, Britons will face lower limits on how much wine, beer and spirits they can purchase in France without paying taxes.
Stephane de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images

One way to value currencies? Compare Big Mac prices.

Jan 20, 2021
What the popular McDonald’s sandwich has to do with currency manipulation, trade policy and the incoming Biden administration.
The idea is that by drawing such comparisons across countries, you can determine whether prices are too high or too low relative to overall economic output.
Courtesy McDonald's via YouTube

With Biden incoming, Merkel outgoing, where do Western relations with China stand?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel concluded an EU business deal with China just before the new year that could disadvantage the U.S.
Clemens Bilan - Pool/Getty Images

How Delta is avoiding Trump's import tariffs

Nov 20, 2020
In a clever workaround, the airline has reportedly sent Airbus planes overseas before bringing them to the U.S.
Air travel is expected to approach pre-pandemic levels this holiday season.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

U.S. ports busier than ever as East-West shipping rebounds

Sep 9, 2020
Fueled by pandemic-driven online shopping and holiday buying, goods are flowing in after a dip.
Containers are offloaded at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest port which was relatively quiet during the early months of the pandemic.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Southeastern produce growers say they need trade relief

Aug 31, 2020
The USMCA trade agreement has not relieved their concerns about Mexican imports. The situation is dire, a Georgia blueberry farmer says.
Joe Cornelius, left, and Russ Goodman, south Georgia blueberry farmers, at Goodman’s blueberry farm in Cogdell, Georgia. Cornelius says in five years, the blueberry industry in Georgia might be done.
Emma Hurt

If the U.S. economy gets sick, other countries could catch 'pneumonia'

Jul 23, 2020
The U.S. health crisis isn't just depressing the national economy. The global economy could feel it, too.
A "Detour" sign outside the offices of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. The economic downturn in the United States is likely to hurt the global economy, says economist Susan M. Collins of the University of Michigan.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images