Business

Trade Splaining

by Ardian Mollabeqiri & Robert Skidmore

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Chart positions today · South Africa

Not on the South Africa charts we track today.

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Latest episodes

Globalization Is Back (Sort Of): DHL’s Data, Forced-Labor Tariffs and Rabobank’s Michael Every

October 15, 2026 · 40 min

Globalization is apparently back, according to DHL, a company with absolutely no stake in the matter. Its latest globalization tracker has globalization at a record high in 2025 and goods trade growing in the first half of 2026 at its…
The Quiet Tariff Retreat, Germany's China Rethink and Banque Syz CIO on Geopolitics, Markets and "Slowbalization"

September 30, 2026 · 48 min

The headlines say the tariff war is still raging. According to Richard Baldwin, Washington has spent the past year quietly backing away from it, one exemption and carve-out at a time. In episode 93, Robert Skidmore and I look at what that…
Swiss Made, Chokepoints and a Digital Pandemic ft. ITU's Tomas Lamanauskas

September 3, 2026 · 40 min

What actually happens when the internet stops working? Not the brief flicker-of-wifi kind, but a real digital pandemic - solar storms, satellite collisions, and heat waves taking out the servers holding your bank account, your health…
Tariff Bingo: Trump vs the EU, China's Economic Fortress, and Europe's Rare Earth Problem

August 13, 2026 · 34 min

Everyone weaponized trade policy at once this month, and the targets weren't always the obvious ones. Trump's latest tariff threats landed on the EU in retaliation for European fines on tech firms, which makes this a regulatory fight…
Hormuz Fallout, China as the New Swing Energy Importer and Ports

July 2, 2026 · 38 min

In Episode 90 of Trade Splaining, Ardian Mollabeqiri and Robert Skidmore are back to unpack how geopolitics, energy markets and global shipping disruptions are finding their way into the everyday economy — from oil prices and port…

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Trade Finds a Way, But Your Parcel Might Not: Global Express Association's Carlos Grau on Customs, De Minimis & Global Delivery

June 4, 2026 · 39 min

Episode 89 - Trade Finds a Way, But Your Parcel Might Not: Global Express Association's Carlos Grau on Customs, De Minimis & Global Delivery Trade has a funny way of showing up in your life. Sometimes it is tariffs, oil prices and…
Hormuz Oil Shock, Airfares and the Future of Flying - IATA’s Chief Economist on the New Energy Crisis

May 21, 2026 · 34 min

Episode 88: Hormuz Oil Shock, Airfares and the Future of Flying - IATA’s Chief Economist on the New Energy Crisis Oil shocks used to feel like something that happened in markets, headlines and awkward economist panels. Not anymore. In…
USMCA on the Brink? Trade Fragmentation, Supply Chain Chaos & the Rise of “Just in Case”

April 30, 2026 · 31 min

Episode 87 - USMCA Uncertainty, Trade Fragmentation & the Future of Supply Chains Global trade is shifting - and not everyone agrees on where it’s heading. In this episode, we break down the growing uncertainty around USMCA, the rise of…
Is the WTO Still Relevant? MC14, Trade Chaos & a Surprisingly Resilient System | Peter Foster (FT)

April 7, 2026 · 29 min

Episode 86 – Is the WTO Still Relevant? MC14, Trade Chaos & a Surprisingly Resilient System | Peter Foster (FT) 🎧 Listen: t.ly/K4Jnc Has the global trading system fundamentally broken — or is it proving more resilient than expected? In…
Tariffs Struck Down… Then Came Back + A Middle East Conflict That Threatens Food Prices ft. Peter S Goodman (NYT)

March 18, 2026 · 35 min

Episode 85 – Tariffs Struck Down… Then Came Back + Middle East Conflict Threatens Food Prices Have tariffs really been rolled back — or just repackaged under a different legal label? In Episode 85 of Trade Splaining, we unpack the fallout…
Tariffs, Trade Policy, and Looking Ahead: Is the Rules-Based Trading System Breaking Down?

February 12, 2026 · 33 min

Episode 84 is here — and yes, 84 is the atomic number of polonium, 1984 is Orwellian, and Van Halen absolutely peaked. You’re welcome. We’re joined again by friend of the pod Dmitry Grozoubinski, Executive Director of the Geneva Trade…
Trade, National Security and 2026 Walk Into a Bar

January 27, 2026 · 36 min

Is everything national security now? In Episode 83 of Trade Splaining, Ardi & Rob kick off 2026 by diving head-first into the growing chaos at the intersection of trade policy, geopolitics, and national security exceptions — the legal…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

Trade, markets and geopolitics from Geneva - tariffs, chokepoints, energy shocks and supply chains, explained with the facts first and the jokes second. Trade Splaining is hosted by Ardian Mollabeqiri and Robert Skidmore, two Americans in Geneva who met at the International Trade Centre. Each episode pairs What Went Wrong, our run through the trade and market news worth your time, with an interview with someone who knows the subject from the inside. Guests have included Chip War author Chris Miller, economist Richard Baldwin, former Spanish foreign minister Arancha González, the FT's Peter Foster, the New York Times' Peter S. Goodman, IATA chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen, the World Bank's Jan Hoffmann and Bank Syz CIO Charles-Henry Monchau. The question we keep coming back to: what does this actually mean for companies, investors and anyone with a supply chain or a heating bill? Expect substance, the odd expat detour and a long-running Geneva kebab ranking. On air since 2020. Website and contact: tradesplaining.com