supply chains

Copper hits new record as AI demand and supply squeeze intensify

Copper surged to a new all-time high on Monday, reaching as much as $6.73 per pound on US futures markets as intensifying demand from artificial intelligence infrastructure, renewable energy buildout, and a deepening supply squeeze pushed the metal into uncharted…

Hormuz tolls, dry rivers, robot ban strain supply chains

Supply chain operators are contending with three simultaneous disruptions this month: Iranian toll restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, record-low water levels on European rivers, and a US ban on foreign-made robots that is reshaping automation procurement. The convergence of…

Panama Canal auction fees hit record $1.1M amid Iran war, El Nino

The cost of transiting the Panama Canal has surged to record levels, with average winning auction bids reaching about $1.1 million this month — more than 16 times the level seen during the same period last year — as the…

Record European heat disrupts supply chains, markets

Record temperatures across Europe are compounding pressure on food prices, supply chains, and heavily indebted economies, with analysis suggesting total economic losses from extreme heat could reach €800 billion as the continent grapples with its worst summer of wildfires and…

Hormuz disruption cut strategic export volumes 54%, ITC finds

New analysis from the International Trade Centre shows that disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has caused export volumes of strategic products to plunge by more than half, with liquefied natural gas shipments collapsing by 95 percent —…

Toyota, Honda halt Kyushu plants through Friday after earthquake

Toyota said on Wednesday it would halt operations at three plants in southern Japan through Friday, July 31, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, disrupting suppliers and logistics across the region.

Decoupling from China would cost West $23.6T, EY finds

The United States, eurozone, and United Kingdom would need to invest a combined $23.6 trillion over the next quarter-century to replicate the supply chains and industrial infrastructure currently dependent on China, according to new analysis by EY-Parthenon published on Monday.

ECB warns Hormuz disruptions could cut euro area output by 3%

The European Central Bank published new research on Wednesday warning that persistent disruptions to trade through the Strait of Hormuz could place up to 3% of euro area production at risk, with supply shortages extending well beyond the direct impact…