In a world dominated by email and smartphones, the shipping industry still relies heavily on paper documents delivered by courier. With people unable or unwilling to travel to China because of the coronavirus, that dependence is wreaking havoc on commodities traders.
February 13, 2020Coronavirus
Business, Logistics 
A monitor displays a thermographic image to detect abnormal temperatures in attendees at the Singapore Airshow on Feb. 11. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg News)
Coronavirus Is Wreaking Havoc on Global Mail Delivery
A monitor displays a thermographic image to detect abnormal temperatures in attendees at the Singapore Airshow on Feb. 11. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg News) Government, Business, Fuel 
An oil pumping jack near Samara, Russia, in May 2019. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg News)
Oil Holds Near $50 as OPEC+ Hesitates Despite Surplus
An oil pumping jack near Samara, Russia, in May 2019. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg News)Oil held near $50 a barrel in New York on signs that OPEC and its allies probably won’t go ahead with a much-touted emergency meeting, even as a global oversupply piles up.
February 10, 2020 Business, Safety 
Employees work on a Honda auto plant assembly line in Wuhan in November 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Toyota, Honda Extend China Shutdowns as Virus Gathers Pace
Employees work on a Honda auto plant assembly line in Wuhan in November 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. were among carmakers extending shutdowns at their China plants as the country steps up measures to fight the deadly coronavirus.
February 7, 2020 Business 
A steel stock yard on the outskirts of Shanghai, China, in July 2018. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)
Top Steelmaker Sounds Alarm as Coronavirus Spreads
A steel stock yard on the outskirts of Shanghai, China, in July 2018. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)The most influential mills group in the world’s largest steelmaker has sounded the alarm about the outlook as the coronavirus crisis rips through China’s economy, warning of transport snarls, weaker demand and a situation this quarter that “does not look optimistic.”
February 6, 2020 Business, Fuel 
An Iranian oil tanker sits anchored off the Strait of Gibraltar in July 2019. (Marcelo del Pozo/Bloomberg News)
Coronavirus Has Oil Traders Seeking Ships to Hoard Unsold Crude
An Iranian oil tanker sits anchored off the Strait of Gibraltar in July 2019. (Marcelo del Pozo/Bloomberg News)Oil traders and sellers are making more inquiries for supertankers to hoard crude at sea in the latest indication of the crushing impact the coronavirus is having on demand in the world’s biggest importer.
February 5, 2020 Government, Business, Safety 
Workers assemble cars on the production line of a Hyundai plant in Beijing, China, in March 2013. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg News)
Hyundai Halts South Korea Output as Coronavirus Causes Parts Shortage
Workers assemble cars on the production line of a Hyundai plant in Beijing, China, in March 2013. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg News)Hyundai Motor Co. is halting production in South Korea this week because of a component shortage caused by the coronavirus, the first global automaker to suspend output outside China because of the outbreak.
February 4, 2020 Government, Business, Logistics 
(Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg News)
Factories Brace for Virus Blow Just as Demand Starts to Pick Up
(Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg News)The slow improvement in global manufacturing could be about to take a pause — or worse — as firms brace for supply-chain disruptions and a blow to demand from the spread of the coronavirus.
February 3, 2020 Business, Safety 
Grain is unloaded from a bulk carrier ship docked at the Port of Nantong in China in June 2018. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)
Commodity Shipping Costs Fall 99.95% After Coronavirus Slams Market
Grain is unloaded from a bulk carrier ship docked at the Port of Nantong in China in June 2018. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)The coronavirus crisis in China has hammered many markets this month: none may have felt a bigger impact than freight, reflecting consequences for raw materials, including iron ore, that are carried by sea.
January 31, 2020 Government, Business, Safety 
Doctors look at a CT scan of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province on Jan. 30. (Chinatopix via Associated Press)
Coronavirus Emergency Declared; WHO Downplays Trade Impact
Doctors look at a CT scan of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province on Jan. 30. (Chinatopix via Associated Press)The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak that started in China a global emergency Jan. 30 after the number of cases worldwide spiked more than tenfold in a week.
January 30, 2020 Business 
An employee uses a forklift to transport vehicle panels in a Chinese automobile plant in 2018. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)
China’s Auto Production to Drop 15% Because of Virus, Supplier Aptiv Says
An employee uses a forklift to transport vehicle panels in a Chinese automobile plant in 2018. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)Automakers probably will dial back production by 15% in China this quarter after extending holiday shutdowns due to the potentially deadly coronavirus, a top supplier said.
January 30, 2020