10 Aug Shortages! How much longer? Click to keep reading…
Here are the Kiplinger Letter predictions on how long the current marketplace shortages will continue.
Steel Supply: expect an increase in the steel supply for the second half of 2021. Decreased demand and additional capacity that will reduce prices should kick in by the end of the year.
Qualified workers: The additional Federal unemployment benefit will expire for all in September, prodding many to get back to work. Employers will find it easier to hire, but they should expect to pay top dollar, as wages are likely to stay high.
Automobiles: The computer chip shortage has led to a big slow down in the production of cars. Don’t expect the market to stabilize for at least 12 months.
Semicon: Chipmaking plants are in the works, but the supply won’t improve significantly before 2022.
Freight: Supply chains are constrained by high volume and missing capacity. Ocean shipping delays will continue through 2021. Trucking and rail are overburdened and will stay that way through 2021 also. Air freight won’t rebound until international travel rebounds, probably not until sometime in 2022. The freight shortage is a huge problem for both importers and exporters.–Kiplinger Letter, 18 June 2021. Vol 98, No. 24.
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