Accord Financial Corp., one of the U.S. and Canada’s leading independent commercial finance companies ("Accord") (TSX: ACD) has expanded their Canadian Asset Based Finance/Factoring senior management team to include Karim Habib as Managing Director, Business Development Ontario and Western Canada. His responsibilities will include expanding Accord’s brand presence as well as developing long-term business growth strategies. 

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt global trade, port congestion has reached critical levels. With little to no excess shipping capacity and high demand, Gordon Brothers expects supply chain congestion through at least the first half of 2021.

A previous article in this two-part series reviewed current supply chain stresses, the manufacturing and shipping irregularities causing stress and the pandemic’s continued ramifications for U.S. consumers.

In this follow-up article, Gordon Brothers’ inventory and valuation expert Ulos Anderson takes a closer look at this tight capacity and how sharp increases in shipping costs are compounding current issues. Additionally, he reviews the effects trade with China and demand for consumer products, which have soared amid pandemic lockdowns, have on supply and demand across industries and asset types for those in the banking, lending and restructuring industries.