Sales of second-hand goods have soared in the UK

　　According to the BBC recently reported that due to high inflation, the cost of living of the British people is high, and the number of customers visiting second-hand shops will surge in 2022, and the sales of cheap second-hand goods will soar。The report released by the Centre for Economics and Business Research predicts that the size of the UK second-hand market economy, including used cars, will increase to 6.5 billion pounds in 2022, an increase of 48% compared with 2020。There are more than 3,800 second-hand shops in the UK, selling second-hand clothing, household goods, jewellery, books, records and more。The past year has seen a significant increase in transactions in second-hand shops。Statistics show that about 2/5 of consumers have bought second-hand goods, 70% of consumers use online second-hand market applications such as ebay to shop, and some emerging second-hand goods circulation platforms have also quickly become popular。The report predicts that the UK secondary market will grow by more than 15 per cent a year between 2024 and 2027 to reach £12.6bn, or nearly double its current size。

　　(Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade)

　　Swiss watch exports performed well in the first 11 months of 2022

　　According to statistics released by the Swiss Watch Federation recently, in the first 11 months of 2022, the cumulative exports of Swiss watches reached 22.8 billion Swiss francs, which has exceeded the record of 22.3 billion Swiss francs set for the whole year of 2021。In November 2022, Swiss watch exports amounted to 2.4 billion Swiss francs, an increase of 10 percent year-on-year.9%, the highest level in history。The United States played the "locomotive role" of Swiss watch exports, achieving 22 consecutive months of strong growth。With the year-end holidays approaching, in November last year, the United States imported watches from Switzerland increased by 32 percent year-on-year.9%。In Britain, Germany and Italy, imports from Switzerland increased by 17 percent year-on-year.6%、14.5%和20.2%。France, for its part, saw a surge of 28 in October last year.After 1%, it fell slightly in November.6%。In terms of the Asian market, in November last year, Swiss exports of watches to Japan and Singapore increased by 20 percent year-on-year.2%和29.Exports to China continued to decline by 11 percent.5%。

　　(Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade)

　　Iron ore demand and prices fall

　　According to the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported that the international market price of steel raw materials used by blast furnace steel companies fell。The purchase price of iron ore in the first quarter of 2023 will be 20% lower than in the fourth quarter of 2022。Demand for steel has fallen because of concerns about a slowdown in the world economy。Demand for steelmaking coal, the feedstock, also fell 2 per cent。Despite the upward trend in iron ore spot prices, it is unclear whether the market demand will recover。It's hard to predict how much iron ore prices will rise next quarter。The backdrop is stagnant growth in world steel demand。Data compiled by the World Steel Association show that cumulative crude steel production from January to October was 15.52.7 billion tons, down 3. 3 percent from a year earlier.9%。Under the background of global interest rate hikes and poor real estate market, steel demand has decreased, and steel producers are less willing to purchase raw materials。The cumulative crude steel production in North America from January to October was 4 percent lower than the same period last year.7%。Demand for steel used in construction, such as homes and logistics warehouses, has stalled because of interest rate rises that have continued into the autumn。Eu crude steel production was 9. 9% lower than a year earlier.2%。Demand for steel used in manufacturing has been sluggish because of fears of an economic slowdown and soaring energy prices。

　　(Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade)

　　Russian gas exports will fall by about 25% in 2022

　　Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with the TASS news agency that Russian gas exports in 2022 fell by about 25% compared with last year, and production fell by 12%。In 2022, Russia's oil production increased by 2% year-on-year to reach 5%.3.5 billion tons;The volume of exports increased by 7.5%，达到2.42亿吨。In terms of coal production and marketing, Novak expects Russia's coal production this year to be the same as last year, of which exports will decline by 8.Domestic coal consumption is expected to increase by 6%.8%。Novak stressed that there are many uncertainties in the energy market in 2023, but there is still demand for Russian energy products on the international market。With the stability of the new supply chain, the gap between the price of Russian Urals crude oil and Brent crude oil prices will gradually narrow in a few months, and Russia will gradually reduce the discount on oil exports。In addition, Novak said that Russia will use new technological means to increase liquefied natural gas production。In the near future, Russia is expected to increase its LNG production to 64 million tons per year, and to 100 million tons by 2035。

　　(Source: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade)

　　Risk alert regarding export trade to Ghana

　　Recently, many of the exports of Chinese enterprises to Ghana, Ghanaian importers fraud or refuse to perform the contract to pay the balance of the situation, resulting in long-term stagnation of the goods at the port, facing the risk of auction or low price resale。In particular, when we negotiate business with Ghanaian merchants, we must require each other to provide a copy of a valid ID card to minimize risks。

　　(Source: Ministry of Commerce official website)