According to Reuters, the United States is the world’s largest consumer country, with an average annual import value of approximately 2.5trillion dollars. However, the lagging infrastructure construction in the United States, including seaports, does not match such huge import demand font>. Compared with efficiently operating ports in other countries and regions, the level of automation in U.S. ports is not high enough, and most of them cannot all week long.
Now, under the new crown epidemic, many Americans have switched from purchasing services to purchasing goods, and the volume of imported goods The surge in supply chain infrastructure problems in the United States has further highlighted the problem of container ship congestion at ports. It has led to widespread delivery delays and chaos, and even threatened the overall economic operation of the United States.
It is worth mentioning that, Most of the ports in the top 50of the ranking are from Asia and North Africa. Yokohama Port in Japan, King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia and Qingdao Port in China ranked the top three.
US media: supply chain tension There is also a shortage of online products
Affected by the new coronavirus epidemic, labor shortage and other factors, a large number of goods in the United States have been stranded at ports recently , unable to enter the market. This also poses a threat to the upcoming holiday shopping season and the overall economic operation of the United States. CBS reported on the 20th that online consumption in the United States was also affected and there was a shortage of goods.
According to reports, a company tracking electronics The maker of software for business purchasing said the proportion of out-of-stock items on some specific items has increased by 300 this year compared with2020 %. Data shows that clothing, sporting goods, baby products and electronic products are among the top products in short supply online. Reports predict that online product shortages may get worse as consumer demand increases and the holidays approach.
The report also stated that a market survey showed that due to the ongoing supply chain crisis, some toys and other products have been sold out, and some consumers are concerned about the Worry about whether you can buy the goods you need before the holidays. In addition, about two-thirds of consumers expect prices to rise as the holidays approach this year.
“The United States lacks everything” Many factors cause tension
The situation of tight supply chains in the United States, backlog of cargo at ports, and shortage of goods in the market has continued. After many days, no effective relief was seen. Reports and analyzes from the U.S. media and other sources pointed out that direct and indirect factors such as shortages of manpower in relevant industries, ineffective epidemic prevention and control, problems with the U.S. economic structure, and the politicization of the epidemic caused the problem.
A recent issue of The Atlantic Monthly An article titled“America lacks everything“. The article said that the current economic situation in the United States is that a one-hour errand has turned into a long journey of several hours. ” Next day delivery“became“delivery the next day“. Do you need auto parts? Sorry, just wait another week. That book you’re looking for? Come again on November 11. Are you looking to buy a crib? Let’s talk about it in 12month. Looking for some construction workers to renovate your house? Fingers crossed2022year. As the economy further restarts and the year-end holidays approach, demand becomes stronger, and the shortage of goods in the United States has spread from physical stores to online platforms.
In order to ease the tense situation, the White House recently announced that relevant ports will operate around the clock, and logistics companies and retailers will also increase overnight operations. But so far, the effect is limited, and port congestion has not been alleviated. On the U.S. domestic marketThere is still a shortage of these commodities.
CNN and other American media reported that the current problem is not just caused by the backlog of cargo at ports and production affected by the severe epidemic. The continued shortage of manpower in related industries is also an important reason. The current shortage of drivers in the U.S. trucking industry has reached 8thousand, setting a new high and a significant increase of 30%30than before the epidemic. /font>. The report also stated that the lack of related manufacturing industries in the United States is also one of the fundamental reasons.
At the same time, some analysts pointed out that The U.S. government failed to control the epidemic effectively. It tried to politicize epidemic prevention and control, shift responsibility, and adopt measures including suppressing technology companies in other countries to distort supply chain relationships, ultimately causing a negative impact on itself.
The International Monetary Fund has recently Warnings were also issued on related situations.
Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund Gita·<font face= Gopinath: What we see is a mismatch between supply and demand. This mismatch has lasted for a long time because the COVID-19 epidemic has lasted for a long time. So while demand has rebounded, supply has not rebounded as quickly. The combination of those two results in high levels of inflation, we're already seeing that in commodity prices, we're seeing that in issues with tight supply chains, and our expectation is that some of that inflation will continue into next year. We've never seen a recovery like this, with labor market shortages coupled with high unemployment and ports unable to unload container ships, so this is very unique and we have to be particularly vigilant.
Federal Reserve‘s “Beige Book” shows economic growth slowing down in some areas of the United States
The National Economic Situation Survey Report released by the U.S. Federal Reserve on the 20 , U.S. economic activity generally grew moderately, but economic growth slowed in some areas.
This report is based on subordinatesCompiled from the latest survey results of 12 regional reserve banks, also known as“Beige Book“. The report shows that economic growth has slowed down in some areas, including New York, due to factors such as supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and uncertainty about the COVID-19 epidemic.
Although the U.S. job market continues to be moderate growth, but labor shortages have limited the extent of growth, and many retail, leisure tourism and manufacturing companies have been forced to reduce production.
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