Background: Commodity trading has been the epicenter of economic growth for thousands of years, dating back to 4,500 BCE. In the civilization known as Sumer, citizens would use clay tokens sealed in a clay vessel as a medium of exchange for goats. Clay writing tablets indicated the number of clay tokens inside each sealed vessel,
As a key service the United States Commercial Service sponsors, trade missions afford American corporations the opportunity to utilize the vast international network of the United States government to either jumpstart or further expand their global operations. Because of the National Export Initiative’s focus on boosting U.S. exports, American businesses have access to a myriad
For years carriers have attempted to sanction container no-shows with a fee, but none have stuck. Last minute cancellations have plagued the shipping industry, preventing carriers from accepting bookings from their customers. The lack of a cancellation fee encourages shippers to be disorganized and careless with their shipment dates. In an attempt to change this,
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced its plans to modify its existing toll structure to further incentivize the full container vessel market segment to utilize the canal in return voyages. The modifications are a result of the fluctuating demand from containership, LPG, and LNG vessels for the Canal as well as the productive capabilities
A global shortage of shipping containers has recently hurt U.S. exporters. The Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR), a weekly record detailing the availability of marine shipping containers at 18 different intermodal locations, illustrates a decline in container volume at major domestic break-in-bulk points, such as Chicago and Kansas City. Although seasonality may partially account
Tatiana Bertolo, Office of Small Business Currently, there are hundreds of online marketing tools out there and some of these tools are free to help get small businesses off the ground within minutes. At times, finding the right marketing tool for your business can be an overwhelming task because of the range of options, especially
Tatiana Bertolo, Office of Small Business Developing a market research plan to expand your business internationally is never an easy task. Many companies hire an International Marketing Manager or they hire outside consultants to help them access whether their product or service would succeed in the global market. However, many U.S. small to medium-sized businesses
Elizabeth Thomas, Business Development Specialist, Office of Small Business The week of September 5th 2016 Apple Computer introduced the iPhone7. The year before they sold more iPhones in China than in the U.S. and the company’s revenue was $231 billion. Yet in 1976, they were just two guys in a garage. The Export-Import Bank of
Both CBP and the importing/exporting community have a shared responsibility to maximize compliance with laws and regulations. In carrying out this task, CBP encourages importers/exporters to become familiar with applicable laws and regulations. The information on this page promotes the understanding of this responsibility, as there may be specific requirements related to a particular commodity, such
By Carlos A. Somoza, JD., LLM., If you are an exporter of U.S.-made products, you may want to consider forming an Interest Charge Domestic International Sales Corporation (IC-DISC) to save on future tax bills. An IC-DISC is a corporation organized under U.S. law that has made an election to be taxed
South Florida District Export Council
