Speech by William R. Rhodes at the China-US Business Alliance on 04 May, 2022 | Thank you, John, for the very kind introduction.  I always enjoy having the opportunity to speak to this group.  Some of you may have seen my recent op-ed on the major threats to China’s economy which I will discuss today.  As we all know, China is the world’s 2nd largest economy and over the last decade the fastest growing major one in the world. This is...

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In this week’s Roar: the latest news on ports, shifting ocean carrier alliances, potential changes for US/ China tariffs, the state of US intermodal, and easing container demand. Port performance on the US West Coast is not improving as we move closer to the vital peak shipping season. There’s a lot of bad news that’s going to translate into even higher costs for the consumer. A recent report states that 20% of the global container fleet is mired in congested...

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On April 28, 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that a consumer protection association had standing to bring claims on behalf of consumers whose personal data was used in a manner that infringes on provisions of the GDPR. The key issue put to the CJEU was whether national legislation permitting a consumer protection association to bring proceedings in the civil courts against infringements of GDPR was valid: (1) independent of the specific infringements of...

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After only 18 months of negotiations, the European Parliament and EU Member States finally reached an agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA), a new set of rules that increases companies’ responsibility for the content that their users upload. The breakthrough was announced by the Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Competition and digital policy, Margrethe Vestager, on Twitter in the early hours of Saturday morning after a final marathon of negotiations. “We have an agreement on DSA: the Digital Services...

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Bern - The USA replaced Germany as Switzerland’s most important export market in 2021 for the first time in 70 years. Exports of Swiss companies to the USA have tripled over the past 20 years. Three quarters of the growth can be traced back to pharma products. Exports of Swiss companies to the USA reached a new record high in 2021 with goods totaling just under 47 billion Swiss francs, the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) writes...

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Office of the Future Revisited is focused on the new realities shaping hybrid workplace strategies. In this time of cautious confidence, office space is increasingly in demand. However, the role of the office will be forever changed as we enter the post-pandemic world. The hybrid movement has just begun, and there is no single blueprint for successfully implementing it. Each organization must approach its transition with the question, “What does hybrid mean for us?" Our latest insight establishes three realities that...

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On 6 April 2022, the European Commission published the final regulatory technical standards designed to provide further guidance on the implementation of regulation on sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector On 6 April 2022, the European Commission published the final regulatory technical standards (“RTS”) designed to provide further guidance on the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 on sustainability-related disclosures in the financial services sector (the “SFDR”), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to...

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Our 2022 Container Shipping industry outlook was prepared before the invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022; thus, it does not reflect the impact of the conflict on global supply chains and container liners. While it is too soon to quantify the extent and duration of the disruption, it is already clear that the ripple effects will be immense and long-lasting. How the industry’s many stakeholders adapt to their changing environment will affect not only their own fortunes but...

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The general contours of the business and investment climate are being shaped by three forces.  First, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions boost price pressures and slow growth.  It was a supply shock.  Even before the war, countries had begun stepping back from the powerful monetary and fiscal support provided during the pandemic.  Second, China's response to its Covid outbreak is slowing the world's second-largest economy.  It threatens supply chains but also a demand shock.  The knock-on effect...

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