Established in 1964, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) aims at the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy. UNCTAD is the focal point within the United Nations for the integrated treatment of trade and development and the interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development.
The World Trade Point Federation (WTPF), an international non-governmental organization established in 2000, grew out of an innovative program of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Through a network of 122 trade information and facilitation centres, known as Trade Points, the WTPF assists small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 80 countries worldwide to trade internationally through the use of electronic commerce technologies. Capitalizing on over a decade of Trade Point market presence, the Federation is currently seeking strategic partners for the development of new value-added services that will enable it to better serve its clients.
The Foreign Trade Division (FTD) is under the auspices of the Office of the Associate Director for Economic Programs at the U.S Bureau of the Census. The Economic Programs area collects data about the nation's economy and agriculture. The Foreign Trade Division is the primary source of statistics on foreign trade data. Specifically, the Foreign Trade Division formulates and develops overall plans and programs for the collection, processing, review, linkage with other economic data, and dissemination of statistical data regarding various aspects of the export and import trade of the United States and foreign trade shipping.
The International Trade Administration's mission is to help U.S. companies sell products and services abroad and support U.S. jobs at home. Over the last seven years, U.S. exports of goods and services accounted for more than one-third of our economic growth. Exports are likely to grow three times faster than any other component of the economy in the next decade. Moreover, by 2010, exports to the Big Emerging Markets are expected to exceed current exports to Japan and Europe combined .
The National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) is the U.S. Government's most comprehensive source of world trade data, consisting of over 130 separate trade and business related programs (data bases). Topics on the NTDB include: export opportunities by industry, country, and product; foreign companies or importers looking for specific products; how-to market guides; demographic, political, and socio-economic conditions in hundreds of countries; and much more. NTDB offers one-stop-shopping for trade information from more than 20 Federal sources. You no longer need to know which Federal agency produces the information: all you need to know is NTDB.
STAT-USA is the Internet source for business and economic information produced by the Federal Government. STAT-USA gathers the most crucial, timely business and economic information from over 50 Federal agencies and distributes from a central source: true low-cost, one-stop shopping, saving you countless hours in research time.
The USITC is an independent, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides objective trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. USITC analysts and economists investigate and publish reports on U.S. industries and the global trends that affect them. The agency also updates and publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
The Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBERs) were created under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, the CIBER program links the manpower and information needs of U.S. business with the international education, language training, and research capacities of universities across the U.S.
The Federation of International Trade Associations (FITA), founded in 1984, fosters international trade by strengthening the role of local, regional, and national associations throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada that have an international mission. FITA affiliates are 450+ independent international associations which fall into six categories: World Trade Clubs, Associations/Chambers of Commerce with regional/Bi-Lateral interests, Associations Focused on International Logistics, Associations Supporting International Trade, Associations Supporting Exporters, and Professional Associations.
Founded in 1919, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental organisation of more than 7,000 companies and business associations in 140 countries. ICC National Committees throughout the world present ICC views to their governments and alert Paris headquarters to national business concerns. For over 75 years, the ICC has been serving world business by promoting trade and investment and open markets for goods and services, as well as the free flow of capital. It defends the private enterprise system and encourages self-regulation by business.
Established in 1995 as part of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA's) mandate to enhance Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in developing regions, the Investment Promotion Network (IPAnet) is the leading international investment-specific portal Web site providing free access to online foreign investment and privatization resources. IPAnet provides an extensive searchable database of over 12,000 Web-based documents which include research on economies and product markets, investment-related laws and treaties, as well as specific investment opportunities.
The National Association of Export Companies (NEXCO), established in 1965, is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to acting as the clearinghouse, forum, information provider and network for professional exporters, service providers and entrepreneurs. NEXCO's membership includes export departments of manufacturers, export management companies, export trading companies and international service providers.
The Political Risk Network is a collaborative portal providing senior-level executives in multinational companies with an online repository of political and country risk products, services, research and intelligence.
The World Chambers Federation (WCF) is ICC's specialized division for its chamber of commerce members worldwide. WCF was previously known as the International Bureau of Chambers of Commerce (IBCC). Through its extensive global support network, WCF enables chambers from all over the world to exchange experiences and improve their performance in areas such as finance, management and the development and promotion of services.
Asia, Inc. Online is the first online business magazine from Asia. Created by the publishers of Asia, Inc., AIO features articles from current and past issues of Asia, Inc., exclusive articles prepared just for AIO, investment information from regional financial experts and much more. Our discussion forums offer you an opportunity to communicate with our editors, as well as with other people around the world with an interest in Asian business, and our advertisements give you interactive access to a wide range of businesses. The archive space here will eventually contain dozens of articles from the pages of Asia, Inc., selected by our editors for your reference and reading pleasure. Articles have been chosen both for their long-term reference value and for their relevance to Asia-oriented executives around the world.
Nobody can foretell the future. If people knew forthcoming major events they wouldn't tell you about it—they would be too busy making money on their own account. But future outcomes from events greatly affects the value of assets. And valuations can move in unpredicted ways depending on three things: the nature of the events; whether they were anticipated and to what degree; and, what was already priced in markets. This newsletter concentrates on the first of these factors—the economics of events or scenarios. In so doing, it also sheds light on the second two issues.
The Editorial Mission of Financial World is to provide policymakers in the private sector and professional and personal investors with unique insights into the strategies that large corporations are pursuing to maximise the performance of their assets. In the final analysis, FW is dedicated to helping our readers make money, both professionally and personally.
