A recent and surprising study found that Brazil produces about 19 new millionaires each day, and has since 2007. Although, looking at the country more closely, the stat shouldn’t be too shocking; Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world (by size and population) and in the past few years its booming economy has moved nearly 30 million people into the middle class.


Zepol’s TradeView data shows that Brazil’s growth is potentially due to its increased exports in natural resources like mineral oils (HTS code 27), and coffee and tea (HTS code 09), which are both multi-billion-dollar-a-year industries for the country.

Over the past five years, Brazil’s mineral fuel exports to the United States have almost doubled. As of November 2011, the growth has continued with a 15.8% increase compared to 2010.

In terms of coffee and tea, Brazil is the leading exporting country to the United States. Coffee and tea exports are more than two times what they were in 2007 and are consistently rising. As of November 2011, exports are up 56% from 2010 and 123% from 2009.

Brazil’s economy is certainly not recession-proof with many of its imports and exports showing drops in 2009, but the overall impact has not hindered the country’s development. Another economic boost worth mentioning is Brazil’s city of Rio de Janeiro, which is hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Overall, the South American super power of Brazil is on the rise and doesn’t appear to be slowing down soon.   

In an average week, the United States imports about 180 thousand shipments by vessel, that equates to over 400 thousand TEUs, or twenty-foot containers, being unloaded each week. While the large majority of these containers make it safely to their destinations, on rare occasions these vessels hit road blocks, or in this case, reefs.

Last October, cargo ship Rena struck a reef off the coast of New Zealand, causing one of the worst environmental disasters to hit the region. As the vessel split in two, oil and containers were let loose into the pristine area, polluting the surrounding waters and coast. Earlier this month, the ship finally sank, and it looks like the clean-up crew will be in it for the long haul.

Taking a look at Zepol’s TradeIQ™, we find that Rena’s import activity to the U.S. was heavy in April and May of 2011. The vessel carried goods mostly from China and Hong Kong to the U.S. during the two months, importing 870 TEUs in April and over 1,400 TEUs in May. Interestingly enough, none of these shipments were unloaded on the west coast of the U.S.; the majority entered the Ports of New York and Newark.

More recently, the Costa Concordia cruise ship veered into a costly mistake by running aground off the coast of Italy. Although rare, these unfortunate events will likely create tighter restrictions within the industry in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Recent unemployment figures suggest that the U.S. economy is finally getting back on track, even though the progress has been slow. The outlook for 2012 is looking up and the buzz is that the coming year will be better than the last. A major factor influencing this delicate economy is, yes you guessed it, oil.

The price per kilogram of U.S. oil imports (by vessel) in 2011 was about $0.75, up about $0.20 from 2010 figures. The figure below illustrates the price per kilogram of U.S. imports of crude oil by quarter. The price per kilogram plummeted in 2009, along with the U.S. economy. Prices steadily began to rise and peaked in Q2 of 2011, reaching the highest price per kilogram seen in almost three years.

According to Zepol’s TradeView™, in 2011 approximately 20% of U.S. oil imports originated in Canada and 13% originated in Saudi Arabia. Mexico ranks third on the list with a market share of about 12%.  To see additional statistics, visit Zepol's page on HTS Code 2709.00.

 

With the arrival of the ever-handy digital camera, and now Kodak filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the question upon us is if there’s still a demand for photographic film products. The answer? Kind of. Since just 2007, imports of photographic film products have declined 31.6%, as of November 2011 (see graph below).

Imports of classic products, like 35mm film, have plummeted in the past five years, from values around $90 million to now $30 million, a 65% drop. Another sinking ship is instant print film for color (HTS 3701.20.0030). In 2007, U.S. import values reached almost $70 million but are down to a mere $6.8 million today.

Although the market for film products has fallen, it would be unwise to say the goods have become obsolete. Some film products have even increased over the years. Film sized 610mm in width by more than 200mm in length (HTS 3702.42.0100) have almost doubled in imports since 2008. It spiked from $89 million then, to almost $170 million in 2011, an 89% increase.

Clearly there is still a market for these “old-fashioned” technologies, as seen in the graph below. So, even though our children may never experience the task of carefully loading a camera with film, dropping off the roll to be developed, then waiting weeks to pick up the prints, they still have the option. And isn’t experiencing inconvenience what growing up is all about?

*Numbers as of November 2011 and excluding X-ray and motion picture film.