Global supply chains are under pressure again. Will inflation start rising?

Conflict in the Middle East, a strike at US ports, problems at the Panama Canal ... a rush of problems could create a crisis for exporters

With a pandemic that upended global trade through lockdowns and travel restrictions still fresh in managers' minds, international supply chains are again under pressure.

Shippers are facing myriad issues, from the conflict in the Middle East and drought in Central America to strike action in the US, and companies are finding it more difficult - and more expensive - to transport supplies.