International Business with Fexingo: Global Trade, Cross-Border Deals, and Multinational Operations

On this episode of International Business with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how Mexico is capitalizing on the USMCA non-renewal and rising Asian labor costs to become the go-to nearshoring destination for manufacturers. With a specific focus on the booming automotive and electronics sectors in Nuevo León and Baja California, we break down the numbers: Mexico's exports to the US in Q2 2026 hit a...

SK Hynix made its Nasdaq debut on July 10, 2026, opening at $170 with Chairman Kwak Noh-Jung telling CNBC that demand is 'enormous'. The South Korean memory chip giant's US listing is more than a fundraising event—it's a strategic move to rewire global semiconductor supply chains amid US-China tensions. Lucas and Luna unpack what the IPO means for cross-border capital flows, the shifting geography...

SoftBank shares surged 11% on July 10, 2026, as markets bet that its transformation from a tech investment conglomerate into a dedicated AI infrastructure financier is gaining traction. Hosts Lucas and Luna break down the story behind the rally: SoftBank's $100 billion commitment to AI data centers, its new lending arm focused on GPU-backed loans, and the strategic pivot away from volatile Vision...

The dollar has fallen over 2% from its June high, and a quieter shift is underway in global dealmaking. Lucas and Luna examine how the U.S. dollar's slide is making American companies cheaper targets for foreign buyers, with Europe and Japan leading the charge. They unpack the mechanics: a weaker dollar boosts the purchasing power of euro- and yen-denominated acquirers, and the numbers are already...

The US dollar is up over 20% against major currencies since 2021, yet the trade deficit just hit a record $77.6 billion. Lucas and Luna explore why the strong dollar isn't boosting imports as expected — and how companies are rewiring their cross-border payment systems. They look at the rise of yuan-denominated trade settlement in Asia, the growing use of digital letters of credit, and what the Fed...

The Chinese yuan has quietly strengthened against the dollar this year, even as trade tensions escalate. In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack why the yuan's stability matters beyond currency markets—specifically how it's shifting the trade finance landscape. With the yuan now accounting for over 6% of global payments, Chinese exporters are increasingly invoicing in their own currency, bypassing...

Episode 100 of International Business with Fexingo. On July 8, 2026, President Trump announced a complete trade cutoff with Spain, sending shockwaves through European supply chains. Lucas and Luna break down what this means for Spanish exports like olive oil, wine, and auto parts — and how the EU is likely to retaliate. They connect the move to the broader trade-weighted US dollar index, which has...

A severe drought in Panama is reducing daily transits through the canal by 30 percent, forcing shippers to rethink routes and costs. Lucas and Luna break down how this is reshaping global trade, with ripple effects on everything from LNG shipments to container rates. They also discuss the impact on Latin American economies and the race to find alternatives, including the revived interest in the Ni...

Lucas and Luna explore how the offshore wind boom is transforming cross-border electricity trade in Europe. With the euro at $1.14 and the trade-weighted dollar easing, European energy exporters are gaining a competitive edge. Lucas breaks down the numbers: Denmark now exports over 60% of its wind power, while Germany's offshore capacity is set to double by 2030. They discuss how this shift is rec...

Episode 97 of International Business with Fexingo dives into the quiet but powerful shift happening in global trade: digital trade agreements. Lucas and Luna explore how new frameworks like the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) and the US-Japan Digital Trade Agreement are rewriting the rules for data flows, e-commerce, and digital services. They discuss what this means for multinational...

South Korea's political turmoil has sent the KOSPI down 8.7% and raised urgent questions about global supply chains in semiconductors, batteries, and shipbuilding. Lucas and Luna break down why investors are fleeing Korean assets, how the won's weakness affects memory chip pricing, and what this means for companies like Samsung and SK Hynix. They also explore the broader implications for US allies...

This episode examines Saudi Arabia's aggressive push to become a major data center destination for artificial intelligence, driven by its sovereign wealth fund PIF and a $30 billion investment in cloud infrastructure. Lucas breaks down how the kingdom is leveraging cheap energy and strategic geography to attract hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft, and Oracle. Luna questions whether the kingdom's...

South Korea has quietly become one of the world's top arms exporters, driven by a mix of geopolitical tension, aggressive government financing, and a defense industry that learned from decades of domestic need. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down the specific numbers behind the surge: how Korean defense firms like Hanwha and Hyundai Rotem have won multibillion-dollar contracts with Poland,...

In early July 2026, the USDA released its annual acreage report, revealing that Brazil has overtaken the United States in corn production for the first time in modern history. This episode unpacks how a combination of cheap land, double-cropping cycles, and massive Chinese demand has turned Brazil into the world's corn superpower — and what that means for American farmers, global food prices, and...

Episode 92 of International Business with Fexingo looks at India's rise as the go-to destination for high-value engineering outsourcing. Lucas explains how the country is moving beyond call centers and basic IT to become a hub for aerospace design, automotive R&D, and semiconductor engineering. He cites data showing that India now accounts for 22% of global engineering services exports, with reven...

Episode 91 of International Business with Fexingo takes you inside a quiet revolution: the US manufacturing construction boom. Since 2022, spending on new factories in the United States has more than tripled, driven by the CHIPS Act and Inflation Reduction Act. But this isn't just a domestic story. Lucas and Luna examine how the factory boom is pulling supply chains away from Asia, creating a new...

As Houthi attacks in the Red Sea persist into mid-2026, global shipping lines are making a permanent pivot around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. Lucas and Luna break down the cost, the ripple effects on East African ports like Mombasa and Durban, and why this detour might outlast the conflict itself. Data from the SCFI shows spot rates on Asia-Europe routes have doubled since January. With fuel costs...

Episode 89 of International Business with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore Vietnam's rapid rise in the global semiconductor supply chain. With the US-China trade war deepening and export controls tightening, multinationals like Intel, Samsung, and Amkor are pouring billions into Vietnam. The hosts examine what makes Vietnam attractive—low costs, political stability, trade deals—and the challenges a...

China's battery supply chain is shifting, and Indonesia is positioning itself as the dominant supplier of nickel for EV batteries. Lucas and Luna explore how Jakarta's export ban on raw ore forced billions in smelter investment, why the country now accounts for over half of global nickel production, and what this means for automakers from Tesla to BYD. With the trade-weighted dollar easing slightl...

Today, Lucas and Luna dive into the biggest trade story of mid-2026: the U.S. decision not to renew USMCA, opening the door for renegotiations with Canada and Mexico. They explore what this means for cross-border supply chains, the auto industry, and the broader trade-weighted dollar. Lucas breaks down the specific industries most exposed — agriculture, manufacturing, and energy — and why the timi...

Thailand has long been known as the Detroit of Asia for its internal combustion engine assembly lines. But a dramatic shift is underway. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine how Thailand is pivoting to become Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle manufacturing hub. They discuss the government’s EV 3.0 policy, which offers tax breaks and subsidies to attract global automakers, and how companies like...

Japan spent $74 billion in June 2026 propping up the yen, yet the currency continues to weaken toward 162 per dollar. Lucas and Luna unpack why the intervention is failing, what it means for Japanese exporters and global carry trades, and how the Federal Reserve's rate policy is the real driver. They explore the structural limits of unilateral currency defense, the impact on Japan's $4 trillion in...

Ireland collected an extra €12 billion in corporate tax in 2025, most of it from a handful of American tech and pharma giants. For years the country was known as a tax haven — now it's sitting on a surplus so large it doesn't know what to do with it. Lucas and Luna break down how Ireland went from austerity to abundance, why the EU is watching closely, and what this means for corporate investment...

This episode zooms in on a specific story: Australia's competition regulator, the ACCC, has taken Amazon to court over alleged unfair Prime subscription contract terms. Lucas and Luna dissect what the case alleges, why Australia is becoming a global leader in big-tech antitrust enforcement, and how the outcome could reshape how multinational platforms handle subscription cancellations worldwide. T...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the accelerating depreciation of the Chinese yuan, which has fallen to 6.77 per dollar. They explore how this currency shift, driven by China's export-led recovery and policy choices, is reshaping supply chains across Southeast Asia and Latin America. With the trade-weighted dollar index at 120.4 and emerging market currencies under pressure, the hosts discu...