Archives September 2026

The way we picture cargo inspections is outdated and that mismatch is costing us time, money, and security. We sit down with David Smason, founder and former CEO of CargoSeer, now VP AI at Big Bear AI, to unpack what customs enforcement looks like when non-intrusive inspection meets artificial intelligence. Think X-ray and gamma-ray scanning, drones and sensors, and an AI layer that can digest massive streams of images, documents, and historical records then turn it into a decision an operato…

El Nino and sanctions sound like separate headlines until you follow the money and the materials. We connect the dots between climate driven yield shocks, fertilizer and energy costs, shipping volatility, and the real world procurement calendar where Q4 buying decisions feed Q1 production plans. When the strongest El Nino in decades lines up with planning season, the risk is not just a late shipment. It’s higher input costs, lower output reliability, and fast moving commodity price pressure t…

Importing into the United States is no longer a routine admin task. We walk through how a new enforcement-first customs posture changes the practical reality for importers of record, brokers, and forwarders, from higher bonds and beneficial ownership disclosure to continuous vetting and risk-tiered clearance that can slow your freight if your compliance history is weak. If you manage global sourcing, procurement, customs compliance, or logistics, this is the kind of shift that quietly rewrite…

Bond yields are climbing across the US, Europe, the UK, and Japan and the ripple effects are showing up in places most people don’t connect to the bond market at all: mortgage rates, business investment, supplier stability, and the everyday cost of moving goods. I’m Tony Hines, and I walk through why this isn’t a temporary wobble but a synchronized repricing of risk that’s tightening financial conditions worldwide. We break down the three major forces pushing yields higher: persistent …