WTO chief warns global trade deal faces collapse

"Not a single human being living in poverty anywhere in the world will be better-off if we fail in Bali”  Roberto Azevedo World Trade Organization

 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) head, Roberto Azevedo, has warned global trade deal talks face collapse.

Mr Azevedo's comments came after WTO members failed to agree on a text to be presented to trade ministers next month to reach a deal.

A potential global deal, first since the WTO was formed, could add nearly $1tn (£617bn) to the world economy.

Mr Azevedo said that negotiations had been hurt as members "stopped making the tough political calls". "This prevented us from getting to the finish line," the director-general added.

'Grave consequences'

Diplomats from the WTO's 159 member countries had held talks over the past few days in Geneva over a range of issues.

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Radiation fears severely damaging South Korea’s seafood traders

Radiation fears severely damaging South Korea’s seafood traders

Fish Is Off the Menu in South Korea Over Radiation Fears Koreans Avoid Seafood Over Fears of Fukushima Contamination, WSJ, By  KWANWOO JUN  14 Nov 13,  SEOUL—”There have been no buyers yet,” said fish trader Choi Mi-ja as the clock ticked toward 3 p.m., some 10 hours after her store at the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market opened for the day.

“In 26 years in this business, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Ms. Choi added, standing by tanks where live, locally bred flatfish and Russian-imported king crabs were displayed.

Ms. Choi’s predicament provides a taste of the psychological impact of Japan’s nuclear crisis on South Korea’s seafood industry. Sales of marine products have plummeted in recent months as three out of every four Koreans say they have cut back on fish consumption following leaks of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

The fears come despite Seoul imposing some of the toughest restrictions on seafood imports from Japan. Since September, it has blocked all fishery imports from eight prefectures surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi plant, on Japan’s Pacific coast.

Around 80% of seafood consumed in South Korea is caught locally, where there is no evidence of any impact from the nuclear disaster. Despite the facts, many Koreans are shunning seafood……..http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303289904579196893701088208

Lions go digital: The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa

From McKinsey

Following a decade of rapid urbanization and strong economic growth, Africa is going digital. While just 16 percent of the continent’s one billion people are online, that picture is changing rapidly.

Evidence of what is to come can already be seen in Africa’s major cities, where consumers have greater disposable income, more than half have Internet-capable devices, and 3G networks are up and running. Significant infrastructure investment—for example, increased access to mobile broadband, fibre-optic cable connections to households, and power-supply expansion—combined with the rapid spread of low-cost smartphones and tablets, has enabled millions of Africans to connect for the first time. There is a growing wave of innovation as entrepreneurs and large corporations alike launch new web-based ventures.

 

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): A Trade Agreement You Should Care About

 


TPP, arguably the most important trade agreement in a generation, emerged following nearly a decade of disappointment in trade talks. The World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Round of talks first collapsed in 2003 and effectively died with the 2008 financial crisis. The death of Doha and the rise of TPP mark an important phase for global economic negotiations.

Here is what you need to know about TPP:

2014 Marketing Trends: Content, Storytelling, Integrated PR

A series on 2014 marketing trends by Howard Greenstein. For the full story, download our free Marketing in 2014 Guide.

Marketing has embraced “storytelling” once again in 2013, and there’s no sign of it stopping. One reason for this is that social media and other channels demand content, all day, every day.

Travel Trends For 2014: PANKs, Microstays And Asian Cruising

By Mark Johansonon November 05 2013 6:17 AM 

Euromonitor International released its annual Global Trends Report on Monday in conjunction with the opening of the World Travel Market trade show in London. In it, researchers highlighted seven regional trends and two global ones that track emerging behavior patterns, new travel habits and business initiatives across the globe. Scroll down for a complete breakdown of what to expect in the world of travel and tourism in the coming years. 

 

 Europe: Peer-to-Peer Travel HouseTrip HouseTrip is a major peer-to-peer player in Europe.

Global Marketing Trends for 2014 - Luxury and Food

How Alibaba Raked in $5.7 Billion in 24 hours

FROM ADAGE

...With the event in its fifth year, more brands and merchants flocked to Alibaba's online sales platforms, Tmall (an online shopping mall) and Taobao (similar to eBay). About 20,000 merchants took part, double last year's figure, including international brands like Nike and the Gap.

 

Alibaba's Tmall drives the spending on 11/11, China's e-commerce holiday

Alibaba launched TV commercials, outdoor ads and social media promotions before this 11/11, though not more than in the past. But since individual brands also publicized the event, the big increase in participants meant more buzz.

Many brands encouraged shoppers to put items in their shopping baskets early to allow for quick checkout Monday at midnight, which also juiced the anticipation.

Barbie Goes Brainy for Chinese Market

 

(Newser) – Aiming to please education-minded parents, Mattel has given Barbie a fresh new look for the booming Chinese toy market, in a move that, as Quartz reports, highlights China's shift from manufacturer to consumer. New low-price dolls, including "Violin Soloist" Barbie, will help merge joy and learning, which "are like oil and water in China," Mattel's Asia Pacific senior VP tells the Wall Street Journal. 

Cheaper prices are also key to getting a foothold in the toy market, which, excluding video games, jumped 18% to nearly $8 billion last year, while developed market sales remained flat.Read the rest HERE

China's Oct commodities imports to rise on year on better economy

(Reuters) - China's main commodities imports likely eased from record levels last month due to a week-long holiday in October, but shipments of crude oil, copper and iron ore are still expected to post strong annual growth as economic recovery gathers pace.

Import demand for crude oil, copper and soybeans is seen staying elevated through the rest of the year, as an invigorated manufacturing sector boosts consumption by refineries, smelters and crushers, traders and analysts said.
The world's top commodity buyer is showing signs of a stabilizing economy after growth had slowed for nine of the past 10 quarters. Two surveys this month showed manufacturing was on a stronger footing and expanding at its fastest rate in at least seven months.

Preliminary trade data is due out on Friday between 0200 and 0300 GMT.
China's headline exports are forecast to have rebounded in October after a surprise fall in September, reinforcing the government's view that the economy has regained some momentum as its prepares to unveil plans for an economic overhaul at the third plenary session on November 9-12.

Michael Porter Five Competitive Forces

2013 Global Consumer Trends

Global vs Local McDonalds