Trade and transportation are the driving forces behind every developed economy in the world. Thriving nations must import and export goods in order to survive, maintain their infrastructure and support the market. The finance sector has long seen these factors as justification for continual investment and support, and indeed, trade is not liable to cease suddenly. For many reasons, however, some financiers are reconsidering investing heavily in commercial transport companies. Understanding why can help you better understand the impact trade and transport have on both global and local economic levels. With or without big financial investments, the industry will continue.

It is worth considering, however, why there has seemingly been a shift. Financiers may be hesitant to fund new trade and transport companies for any of the following reasons. Despite the uncertainty of investments, finance students can learn a thing or two from the international trade sector remains so resilient.

Cost of Oil and Gasoline

According to the New York Times, oil prices are volatile at best, and there are a few different factors that this can be attributed to. Nations around the world often negotiate output and pricing, and the results of these negotiations can swing wildly from one extreme to the other. For an industry such as trade or transport which is reliant upon affordable oil these fluctuations can be hazardous to business. Financiers have seen this as a liability and backed off funding in some cases, but oil prices have yet to prevent trade and transport from taking place around the world.

Rise of International Tensions

Nothing can kill a trade relationship faster than an international kerfuffle between two or more nations. Some trade companies shareholders have even been caught up in such tensions and seen the impact on their companies. This is certainly true of Timur Tillyaev, who is a primary shareholder in Abu Sahiy. He and his family’s disagreement with Uzbekistan’s political elite threatened the company’s profits, but the necessity of trade prevailed and the company remains a strong player in the international transport sector. When tensions such as these cross country lines, however, the results are not always so fortuitous.

Shift Towards Newer Technologies

Startup culture has taken over finance in many ways. According to Inc., enthusiasm for new and shiny projects is often more compelling to investors than reasonable and well-researched data. Too many financiers have made the mistake of dumping funds into newer and more technologically advanced properties even though they are ultimately less lucrative than tried and true trade companies. The allure of an exciting new investment only lasts so long, but the profits created by many trade and transport companies continue to roll in year after year. Perhaps investors will eventually recognize this and resist flimsy startup investments.

Unstable Profits on Prior Investments

Though the trade and transport industry offers better profits to financiers than some startups, this is not to say that the sector has always been a reliable source of lucrative returns. Trade and transport fluctuate like any other sector, and this has scared away some investors in the past. Even when profits are unstable, however, the industry remains a fixture of the global economy. It is hardly a fad or fluke, and investments only serve to strengthen companies’ ability to make more consistent profits. Financiers are not always so committed to long-term gain, though, as trade companies’ shareholders often are.

Fluctuating Economies

Individual countries’ economies rise and fall regularly. With such fluctuations, however, often come collateral impact on the countries’ trade companies, too. The corporation financed by Timur Tillyaev Abu Sahiyis evidence of this. Its ties to Uzbekistan has made it vulnerable to shifting economic influences. The company, however, has emerged as a successful example of the power individual shareholders can wield. The trade company has remained profitable despite the impact of an unstable economy surrounding it, and its shareholders have steered it towards continual growth so that these profits continue to grow.

Undue Political Influence

Sometimes, governments interfere with business and cause far more harm than good. Sometimes this interference is based in economic motivations, and sometimes it is the result of undue political influences. The latter of these has been a cause of financial loss for trade companies conducting international business. Even while it may be in a country’s best interest economically to conduct trade with another, political complications may hinder such transactions from taking place. This directly hurts the companies attempting to do business, and it may even scare away potential investors in some cases, too.

There are many competing criteria that determine whether a company receives financing from investors. These are just some of the ways in which international trade and transport companies are affected by various external factors. Regardless of financial investments, though, such companies remain a backbone of the global economy. If you are considering investing, a transport corporation may be your best bet.