Supply Chain Research

U.S. business confidence regarding international trade has taken a step backwards in November. The latest ISM survey shows the export order index fell to 47.9% – where below 50% indicates an expected contraction – from 50.4% a month earlier. That’s perhaps not a surprise given U.S. exports fell for a seventh straight month, by 3.7%, in October. The ISM notes that “global trade remains the most significant cross-industry issue”. The ISM survey result is similar to that in China and Germany where declines are also anticipated according to the most recent manager surveys. All three countrie...