Analysts warned that interest rates could rise again in 2023 as the Fed maintains an ‘aggressive policy stance’ against inflation.
LOGISTICS
Carriers are expected to blank about 50% of all scheduled ex-Asia sailings for the months after Chinese New Year, on the back of weaker demand, per Freightos.
China’s rapid rollback of its strict Zero-Covid policy has resulted in a surge of port workers and other shipping industry staff on sick leave, according to multiple sources.
Slowing volumes have led Asia – US West Coast rates to stabilize at 2019 levels for about a month now. Prices to the East Coast have continued to fall and are now just 12% above 2019 levels, according to Freightos.
MATERIALS SOURCING
Taking a High Quality Basic Product and Making it Even Better
To win in the consumer market brands and retailers need products that are clearly differentiated from their competitors.
Typically that means design, price – or both.
However smart consumers now are prioritizing quality – sometimes even above other criteria. The way the garment looks and feels is critical – and it comes down to materials.
Making yarn is simple, so we add value by focusing on continual improvement, said Pongnarin Tangchalermkul at Praekasa Textile. Read more
PODCAST
How to Make Team Training More Engaging & Productive
Well trained teams are one of the foundations of a successful business.
That can be a challenge, especially in businesses where front line teams have to keep up to date on a vast amount of new products. Or in companies where team members need to be knowledgeable about products or services that are complex or very technical.
In this podcast we are joined by Darren Winterford, CEO and founder of EdApp, a learning app that’s helping B2C and B2B companies empower their teams through easy to use training interfaces.
You’ll Learn
- How mobile apps are an easy to use driver of more educated teams.
- Using micro learning to keep colleagues up to date – in real time.
- How to use learning apps to make training easier and more engaging.
SUPPLY CHAIN TECHNOLOGY
How Cloud-base Tools Could Stabilize Supply Chains
When managing complex global supply chains, the ability to have this level of visibility, and being able to take action when necessary, can mitigate potential delays or losses.
On the manufacturing side, with cloud-calculation of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), decisions that affect product manufacturing can be made quickly from anywhere.
Cloud-based solutions are increasingly playing a key role in helping companies manage what has become an overwhelming amount of compliance reporting. The ability to automate what is typically a very labor intensive process can be game changing for both suppliers and buyers. Read more
MARKETS
In the UK retail traffic rose 50% year-on-year on Boxing Day (Dec 26). However, footfall remained 30.5% down on 2019 levels, per Springboard data.
U.S. retail sales rose 7.6% year-on-year during the holidays (Nov. 1- Dec 24), despite inflation pressures and recession fears, according to Mastercard Spending Pulse.
MATERIALS
Materials prices remained flat on weak demand and an overall slowdown in trading during the week between Christmas and New Years.
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