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The Cost of Slow
A few days ago, I chatted with a shipping executive who made a bold prediction. The future of ocean shipping, he told me, is slow: the maritime industry faces great…
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American History, Revised
It’s natural, I suppose, that we place ourselves in the center of history. Generations of American school kids have learned history as if Isabella and Ferdinand, Elizabeth I and George…
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Is Flight from Big Cities Propping Up Trade?
This week brought a flurry of articles about people fleeing many big cities for places that are warmer or cheaper. Collectively, they don’t make much sense — but they may…
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Disconnect
If you believe what you read, 2022 will be a banner year for the freight industry. Wall Street analysts are bullish on container shipping. Logistics experts foresee strong demand for…
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Growing Slowly, Growing Old
Recent census reports have confirmed that the populations of the world’s two largest economies are growing more slowly than previously believed. This reinforces my belief that once the pandemic-driven boom…
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The Conglomerate Isn’t Dead Yet
It’s been a big week for bust-ups. General Electric announced it is breaking itself into three. Toshiba plans to do the same. Johnson & Johnson says it will separate its…