Will Higher Shipping Costs Kill World Trade?

It will not kill trade but it will slow down world trade.

On low cost items it will have a big impact while less on high cost trading items

Yes, in the recent past, this was true - however oil has fallen tremendously and with it the price of fuels has too. Just paid $2.39/gallon of gasoline yesterday. Haven't done that in several years.

What remains to be seen is if the price of oil returns to the $100/barrel level or remains where it currently is for some time.

Did you know EXXON OIL Company reported a 14.2 billion profit for the 3rd quarter?

Somebody has control!?

LOGIC

"Did you know EXXON OIL Company reported a 14.2 billion profit for the 3rd quarter?"

Do you know the dollar volume in sales it took to generate that profit? I'll bet you don't!

Just so there is no mistaken my motives or sentiments, I HATE Exxon! Understand? The screwed a lot of Alaskan fishermen and their families, dragged the case from Court to Court and got away with economic rape of those communities and tens of thousands dependent on them.

Now your misrepresentation has placed me in a position where I must defend a firm that disgusts me!

At 16% Coca Cola and Pepsi-co had double the profits of any oil company. The medium profit for entire oil industry was just over 8%!

I know CFO's that would almost kill to have a pretax profit of 10% and your damning a company that isn't even near that!

When we testify in court we take an oath to tell the truth, THE WHOLE TRUTH, not just the part we like. Telling just enough of the truth to distort it is what politicians do.

I've had enough of those guys for the last two years. I'd like not to read that kind of stuff here thank you.

I can think of a dozen reasons why Exxon should be burned at the legislative stake and the execs and drunk captains sent to jail.

How much money they made is NOT one of them!

L. J.

Exxon is small potatoes compared to the Middle East and some South American oil groups. The US sent over a trillion dollars to these oil groups and they all hate us. At least with Exxon it is based in the US and provides employment and stock value. How many shares do you own in the Middle East and South American oil companies??

I am not faulting Exxon's contribution to the economy. Not in taxes paid (which often get overlooked by many), not in jobs created either.

If by your statements you are suggesting that their gross negligence and social irresponsibility in other areas like Alaska should be overlooked, then count on my arguing full disclosure.

The Love Canal disaster and Occidental Petroleum Corporation's behavior are a source of embarrassment to industry in general and fuel the arguments of covert modern day Luddites who are anti industry in general and hide behind these legitimate excuses to further an agenda that is crippling this Country's productivity.

You can't count on elected officials to protect us from such messes. The elected officials in Niagara Falls were held accountable too.

I don't own stock in anything any more. The sensible criteria that used to be the benchmark for ownership no longer exist. The chaotic wild swings are evidence of a insane market and just not for me.

Not likely though it should ramp up competition.

Decreased trade due to increased energy prices would be a bad thing for the world economy. I've read stuff by Wendell Berry on the virtues of local economies, but IMHO a lot of this is romanticism. People trade when there's a willing buyer and seller. Removing that option is a bad thing.

The trouble is cheap energy right now depends on oil, which is distroying the environment and running out. If we don't find alternatives, the world will be go back to a more local economy and possibly accept some other elements of pre-industrial life.