- by Owen Stuart
- November 7 2019
- Energy & Resources
- liquid natural gas (LNG)
- Trade
Why LNG Exports Are Expanding Rapidly
The natural gas boom associated with expanding tight oil (oil from shale) production has left the US with more natural gas than it can use. This has suppressed prices and made US natural gas highly competitive on the global market. While pipeline exports to Canada and Mexico have increased rapidly, they are still quite small, leaving US suppliers wishing for additional accessible markets. The solution? Liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
- by Chris Dyer
- November 7 2019
- food and beverage
Beer Brewers Branching Out
Recent changes to cannabis laws have encouraged brewers to branch out into using cannabis-based beverage additives. Is cannabis beer the future of the beer industry?
- by Chris Dyer
- October 9 2019
- Industrials
- manufacturing
Bearings Lifting Off in the Aerospace Market
Following the slight downturn in aerospace manufacturing after events such as the grounding of the 737 MAX by Boeing, growth in the demand for bearings and other power transmission components began to wane. However, the aerospace sector is projected to see 3.1% growth through 2023.
4 Trends in US Recovered Paper Trade
Trade of paper and paperboard products has been roiled by recent environmental initiatives in China. In January 2018, the Chinese government began enforcing its National Sword policy, which banned imports of recycled paper with contamination (presence of foreign objects) rates over 0.5%. Furthermore, as part of the US-China trade war, China has levied tariffs on recovered paper imports. How has this impacted the US paper recycling industry?
- by Chris Dyer
- October 9 2019
- Industrials
- manufacturing
- rubber
Securing the Rubber Supply
With no established commercial cultivation of natural rubber in the US, demand for natural rubber is met by imports from countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. Due to the necessity of natural rubber in various products (e.g., tires), rubber product manufacturers and other industry participants are researching ways to produce natural rubber outside of tropical climates, including in the US, to try to avoid price volatility as well as the relatively high price of natural rubber in the current natural rubber supply.
- by Owen Stuart
- October 1 2019
- consumer goods
- consumer spending
- consumer trends
How Do Men & Women Shop for Clothes Differently?
There are a lot of stereotypes about the differences between men’s and women’s shopping habits. But what do the data say?
- by Chris Dyer
- August 7 2019
- food and beverage
- Materials & Chemicals
Turning to Terpenes: New Opportunities in Cannabis Products
Terpenes – the aromatic compounds found not only in cannabis, but a wide range of plants – are a largely untapped source of revenue for firms across a wide range of industries. As more isolate-based cannabis products enter the market, producers are seeking to keep the chemical profiles of their products true to nature by reintroducing the natural terpenes before retail.
- by Chris Dyer
- August 7 2019
- automotive
- environment
Electrifying Demand for Trucks & Buses
With environmental concerns increasing exponentially around the world, many automotive firms are directing their research and development towards electric vehicles. By electrifying medium- and heavy-duty (MD/HD) vehicles, a large portion of potential emissions typically created by traditional engines will be eliminated.
- by Owen Stuart
- August 7 2019
- athletic footwear
- China
- consumer goods
- Consumer Products
- Trade
Shoe Production Set for Cross-Border Trek as China’s Labor Costs Rise
The US footwear market is heavily dependent on Chinese sourcing; as of 2018, the country accounted for 53% of all footwear imports. While this makes China the largest provider of footwear to the US, China’s market share has been falling from a 2010 peak of 76%.
- by Chris Dyer
- August 7 2019
- automotive
- consumer goods
- environment
Embracing Electric Cars Around the Globe
As climate change grips the globe and car sales in dominant markets begin to slump, numerous countries are embracing the novelty of all-electric personal vehicles – some more so than others. With purchase assistance coming in the form of government-subsidized credits, will electric vehicles overtake traditional internal-combustion-engine-driven vehicles?