Tag Archives: Business

Aviation: Boeing & Airbus Counter China’s Comac

Boeing and Airbus dominate global aviation, but China’s Comac wants to challenge the duopoly with new planes. WSJ’s Jon Sindreu explains how supply chains, technology and geopolitics could help the Western aircraft makers to protect key markets. Photo Composite: George Downs

Container Shipping: How Maersk Managed Crisis

The global container business is in chaos. Surging consumer demand, covid outbreaks and a shortage of containers has led to higher volume for ocean carriers and congestion at ports.

Maersk, the world’s largest container shipper, has seen record profits. The Danish shipping firm whose customers include Walmart and Nike announced May 2021 first-quarter revenue of $12.4 billion, a 30% increase from a year earlier. Maersk has a fleet of over 700 ships and handles one in every five containers shipped by sea. The company also owns terminals around the world and has a growing land-based logistics business. On average a Maersk container ship calls on a port somewhere around the globe every six minutes.

Like its competitors the company has faced a series of obstacles in the first half of 2021 ranging from the worldwide shortage of shipping containers to the blockage of the Suez Canal. So, with vaccine rollouts in place in the U.S. and consumer discretionary spending shifting towards services will Maersk and its rivals be able to maintain their momentum? And what do bottlenecks at ports and higher freight rates mean for U.S. consumers? Watch the video to find out what’s next for Maersk.

Dining: Opening Up New Restaurants In London

The coronavirus pandemic has been catastrophic for the hospitality industry and the delay to the June 21 unlocking has led to more uncertainty. The FT’s Daniel Garrahan and food critic Tim Hayward meet Harts Group, the business behind Soho institution Quo Vadis and tapas chain Barrafina, as it opens a new Soho branch of its El Pastor taquerias

Politics & Analysis: New Geopolitics Of Business, Brazil & The Next Tesla

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: the new geopolitics of businessBrazil’s dismal decade (9:25), and how to be the next Tesla (16:30)

Analysis: The Business & Profitability Of Golf

In 2020, golf saw a surge in new players following the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing measures. Callaway, the maker of golf balls, clubs, bags and apparel, has been thriving. But with movie theaters, travel and concerts expected to rebound, will golf club makers like Callaway and its rival Acushnet be able to maintain their momentum?

Analysis: How Will Fossil Watches Survive? (Video)

The global watchmaking industry has changed since the introduction of the smartphone and as demand for fitness trackers and smartwatches grow. Legacy watchmakers, like Fossil, have had to adapt and give customers new reasons to keep timepieces on their wrists. The company has been planning for the future by bringing its own smartwatches to market, initiating a multi-year turnaround plan and focusing on growing markets in China and India. But will that be enough?

Finance: The $1 Trillion Market For ‘Green Bonds’

So-called green bonds have become more popular in recent years, and this fast-growing segment of the $128.3 trillion global bond market could grow even more. When an issuer sells a green bond, they’re making a nonbinding commitment to earmark the sale’s proceeds for environmentally friendly projects. That could include renewable energy projects, constructing energy efficient buildings or making investments in clean water or transportation. Green bonds fall under the wider umbrella of sustainable bonds, which include fixed-income instruments whose proceeds are set aside for social or sustainability projects. Big household names such as Apple and PepsiCo are diving into this space. A handful of massive banks and governments around the world are also issuing sustainable bonds, including China, Russia and the European Union. This may be contributing to the space’s rapid growth. A report from Moody’s said new sustainable bond issuance may top $650 billion in 2021. That would represent a 32% jump from 2020.