Cost of Shipping a Standard Container from China to the U.S.

Cost of shipping a standard 40-foot container of goods from China to the US:

2000 -- $3,000
2008 -- ~$8,000

Increase: 266% over eight years, caused largely by the increase in the price of oil from around $20/barrel to triple digits today. The result has been a dimming of appeal among manufacturers to outsource manufacturing to China and other Asian countries. The price of oil is making the world round, again.

The Value of Global Trade - All Imports and Exports

The total value of all global trade imports and exports was some $25 trillion dollars in 2007, with China contributing about $2.3 trillion and India contributing about $250 billion.

Source: Wall Street Journal

China's trade with industrial and developing countries - China imports nearly 57% more from developing countries than industrial countries, while exports are nearly the same.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Global Imports of Rice, Cotton and Sugar: 2000 - 2008

Source: Wall Street Journal

Higher grain prices, due in part to Ethanol production, have hurt beef production, even as demand for beef grows among developing economies.

Source: Wall Street Journal