Evangelos Otto Simos

Ten years ago, America lost its position as the world’s leading exporter when Germany’s merchandise exports exceeded those of the United States. Read More

Foreign shipments from Michigan’s companies declined in January. Read More

The latest international trade indicators for Michigan show that in the last month of 2012, foreign sales fell to $4.95 billion, from $5.12 billion in November. Read More

Economic growth unfolding around the globe affects business and consumer spending, and through purchases of foreign goods shapes up Michigan’s exports, jobs and overall economic development. Read More

According to the last international trade numbers, worldwide merchandise exports edged up 0.2 percent in October from the previous month, following a monthly drop of 4 percent in September. Read More

According to the latest numbers on global trade flows released by the World Trade Organization, in the first eight months of 2012 the value of world merchandise exports fell 0.4 percent to $10.7 trillion from the same period in 2011. Read More

Growth in global merchandise trade slowed to a crawl in the second quarter of this year, according to statistics compiled by the World Trade Organization. Read More

At the national level, last year economic growth was anemic, unemployment high and exports of goods surged. In 2011, the nation’s GDP — a measure of the country’s output of goods and services produced — rose 1.7 percent, which is just about half of its 100-year trend of 3.3 percent. Unemployment averaged 9 percent at that time. Read More

The Grand Rapids Business Journal/e-forecasting.com Michigan Leading Economic Indicator, Michigan's early bird of economic activity, increased in May 2012 at a reading of 110.4, where 2,000 is set equal to 100.

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In the latest monthly look at international trade numbers, exports of goods made in the Wolverine State rose by 2 percent in March to $4.784 billion, up from $4.689 billion in February, adjusted for seasonal variation — a statistical process that smoothes out monthly fluctuations for factors such as the number of days in a month and holidays, thus making them comparable with national and international export trends.

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