Commodity Economics
Commodity Economics
Supply Chain
Articles
Banking on ‘Green’
Images of blazing wildfires, cracked dry farmland or satellite shots of melting ice may get people thinking about the environment, but they have not become full-fledged activists as a result. …
Supply Chain
Articles
Turning Back to the Real Thing
Cotton prices have returned to historical averages, and that is good news for both the apparel industry and consumers. When cotton prices spiked in March 2011, some retailers and manufacturers…
Consumers
Articles
Hale and Hardy
The dry spell that has affected corn and soybean prices may spell rising prices for food products next year. However, apparel prices could be expected to be flat to down…
Supply Chain
Articles
CHINESE COTTON POLICY: DECISIONS AND EFFECTS
As the world’s largest cotton grower, consumer, and importer, China has long been at the center of the global cotton market. Since the spike in fiber prices that occurred during…
Supply Chain
Articles
Easing Apparel Sourcing Cost Pressures
Market forces inside and outside of China that have kept cotton prices higher in recent years are disappearing. As a result, cotton prices around the world have moved lower. The…
Retail/Brands
Articles
Heading into Summer
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are just about here… so now will shoppers come out of hiding and buy something? Housing sales have increased, the unemployment rate fell…
Supply Chain
Articles
The Ties That Bind
The U.S. Congress recently revived the Trans-Pacific Partnership when it voted to give President Barack Obama “fast track” authority to negotiate trade deals. The complicated, multi-pronged trade agenda involves 11…
Supply Chain
Articles
Brave New World
If the U.S. and China were to post their relationship status on Facebook, the "it's complicated" option comes to mind.
Supply Chain
Articles
Monthly Economic Letter February 2018
Despite some significant upward movement, most cotton prices are either even or lower than one month ago.