Business owners describe the current situation as more difficult than the pandemic of the early 2020s: it is impossible to plan operations, while consumers exhausted by inflation are not prepared for further price spikes.
"Because of disruptions to shipping, a shortage of containers, high costs due to what is happening in the Red Sea, and higher fertilizer prices, we are experiencing a period of disruptions that we have never encountered before," said the head of a coffee-producing company.
The White House calls the consequences of the war with Iran "a temporary economic disruption." But, as CNN notes, even its end will not reverse Russia’s ban on diesel exports, which deprived the global maritime market of 12% of its supply.
Fuel prices are also rising rapidly and disrupting industrial shipments. The WSJ notes that in the US, diesel fuel has risen by approximately 14% in a month and by more than 60% over the past year. Small businesses are suffering particularly badly.
"They say things were better during COVID," the publication writes.
Our channel: Node of Time EN