Trade: The boom continues. The expansion of international trade is both a cause and a consequence of the recovery. The World Trade Organization estimates that world merchandise trade grew by 10.8% in 2021 and forecasts an increase of 4.7% in 2022. Trade is even up from pre-pandemic levels: U.S. merchandise exports in 2021 were 5% higher than 2019 levels, while imports increased 11%. In fact, major U.S. ports handled nearly one-fifth of container volume in 2021 than in 2019. The picture of trade in services is mixed: digital trade continues to grow strongly, but weakness in the travel and tourism sector continues to weigh on some sectors that are major employers. Note that although a country has a low annual income per citizen, it can still be an attractive place to do business. India, for example, is a lower-middle-income country, but has a population of one billion, and part of that population is well-educated – an attractive feature for many business initiatives. Seamless communication: Information is the backbone of any business, but it`s not as simple as being able to make your views known in oral and written communication, but also actively listening and fully appreciating all the information you receive in order to get the most out of it. But communicating flawlessly goes beyond what you say and write, and includes tone of voice and body language; If you convey a strong message, your tone and attitude must say the same thing if you want to be persuasive.

The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) once represented the new frontier of business, but untapped emerging markets contribute to the competitiveness of the global environment. Cross-border investment flows have been hit even harder by Covid-19 than trade. Investors withdrew record amounts of portfolio capital from emerging markets at the start of the pandemic, but these inflows quickly stabilized and then recovered in late 2020. Bold fiscal and monetary responses have so far prevented the Covid-19 crisis from turning into a new global financial crisis. Before the pandemic, there were signs of slowing down in the globalization of information flows. Growth in international Internet traffic, phone calls, royalties and scientific collaboration has slowed. But then digital flows jumped when the pandemic sent work, leisure, and education online. International internet traffic grew by 48% from mid-2019 to mid-2020, and international call minutes increased by 20% in March compared to the same month last year. According to a study, cross-border sales of optional goods in e-commerce increased by 53% in the second quarter of 2020. However, national data and calls have also increased significantly during the pandemic. We cannot, therefore, yet say whether information flows will have become more or less globalized in 2020.

English is the international language of business. People in European countries such as France and Spain are certainly proud of their own languages and cultures, but nevertheless English is the language of the European community`s business. While few educated Europeans studied Italian or Norwegian, most studied English. Even on the South Asian subcontinent, where hundreds of local languages and dialects are spoken, English is the official language. In most parts of the world, English speakers, like most Americans, have no problem finding competent translators and interpreters. Why is language an issue for English speakers doing business in the global marketplace? Connectivity combined with the internet and the rise of remote work means the global talent pool has the potential to expand. This also means that multinational companies do not have multiple headquarters around the world, but may have remote teams or even third-party teams. In April 2020, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said, “We have proven that we can operate without a footprint” and that he sees a future for the bank “with much less real estate”. In response to Powell`s comments and recent economic data, U.S.

bond yields have fallen. In fact, the yield on the 10-year government bond is currently at its lowest level since mid-September, at around 3.5%. Recall that the 10-year yield had reached only 4.27% in the first week of November.