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After three turbulent years, supply chains are finally back to normal

May 17, 2023
Three years after the start of the pandemic, inventories are down and supply chains are less volatile.
Shipping containers are loaded onto ships in the Port of Los Angeles.
David McNew/Getty Images

The price of lumber is way down, but that won't do much to bring down new home prices

Apr 7, 2023
Lumber prices have stabilized after unprecedented volatility.
Stacks of lumber are offered for sale at a home center in Chicago, Illinois. Prices for lumber have recently come down from pandemic highs.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Holding excess inventory keeps getting pricier for this manufacturer

As the global supply chain smooths out its kinks, warehouse costs are top of mind for the Legacy Companies.
For large manufacturers, storing excess inventory means paying growing warehouse fees.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

A 118-year-old department store perseveres in a tenuous economy

Feb 17, 2023
How a department store more than a century old has survived two pandemics, the Great Depression, and multiple recessions.
Dunham's Department Store in Wellsboro, PA. Ann Dunham Rawson, whose great-grandparents opened Dunham's, said the store is doing well despite wider economic anxiety.
Courtesy Ann Dunham Rawson

Business inventories are finally rebounding, a sign of a healing supply chain

Feb 8, 2023
In January, business inventories expanded. That's a positive sign about the economy's health.
The January Logistics Managers Index found that businesses expanded their inventories, which is a good sign about the health of the economy.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Port of LA campaigns to bring back shippers lost amid labor talks

Jan 11, 2023
Executive Director Gene Seroka says traffic has slowed in part because of labor talks between dockworkers and their employers.
Containers, ships and cranes at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Longshore union members are negotiating a new contract with their employers.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

In the pre-holiday scramble, small businesses see a little bit of supply chain relief

Oct 26, 2022
The owners of a record and comic book shop, a toy store, and a greeting card and outdoor gear business share their experiences.
Shelves of comic books and record bins at Phillip Rollins' new OffBeat location, in Jackson, Mississippi.
Courtesy Phillip Rollins

For public good, not for profit.

Paint is still in short supply in the U.S., and more expensive

Sep 19, 2022
Suppliers are prioritizing core products, says the owner of Ryan Amato Painting, but deep colors and clear coats can be hard to get.
Looking for paint in a deep color? That could be a problem.
Georgijevic via Getty Images

From toys to custom bikes, these small businesses are still seeing shipment delays

Aug 22, 2022
Supply chain problems remain an obstacle as demand picks up.
A shopper on a stroll in San Francisco. Retailers have begun preparing for the holidays, but supplies of some items are uncertain.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

How Shanghai's DIY supply chains helped us live through the long COVID lockdown

Jun 6, 2022
What happens when supply chains collapse and it's up to district governments, neighbors and friends to fill the gap?
A volunteer clad in safety gear delivers food during the lockdown while Shanghai residents were not allowed to leave their apartments.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace