Disrupted supply chain: here’s everything you can’t get right now

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Here’s what’s hard to get, why, and for how long, according to CNN Business reporters.

Anyone trying to buy a car knows how brutal it is to find one now – and it won’t get better anytime soon. Goldman Sachs (SG) said this week that new car inventories are unlikely to recover until September and will remain well below pre-pandemic levels until the end of next year.

The bank said it expects new car inventories to continue falling in August, to around 1 million vehicles, before starting to rise steadily in September. The firm predicts that new car prices will likely continue to rise over the next several months, peaking at around 6% above their pre-pandemic level towards the end of this year.

The problem stems from the global shortage of computer chips, which control dozens of functions in all modern vehicles.

Coffee

Your morning cup of coffee could get more expensive soon due to recent supply shortages caused by bad weather in Brazil.

The frost drove Arabica coffee prices up this week. But prices were rising even before the cold snap for a number of reasons, including dry weather in Brazil, protests in Colombia and rising costs of shipping containers, among other factors.

“If these prices remain high, then they will have to be passed on to consumers,” said Carlos Mera, who heads Rabobank’s agricultural markets team and is a coffee price expert. “But big companies have ways of keeping prices relatively stable for customers,” he added.

There is still some good news: Starbucks (SBUX) does not increase its prices. The company is able to avoid the hikes because its buying strategy is to buy coffee in advance and lock in prices.

Computer chips

Lots of auto dealerships are nearly empty in California.

The great computer chip shortage of 2021 shows no signs of slowing down. Intelligence (INTC) warned earlier this month that the global semiconductor shortage that has plagued the auto industry and raised the cost of some consumer electronics devices could last until mid-2023.

“As I expect the shortages to hit bottom in the second half [of 2021], it will take another one to two years before the industry is able to fully catch up with demand, ”CEO Patrick Gelsinger said recently.

This is terrible news for consumer electronics and manufacturers, but especially for automakers, many of whom have been forced to close their factories this year because they cannot get enough chips, limiting supply. new vehicles at a time when used car prices are skyrocketing. General Motors (DG) had to stop manufacturing most of its full-size pickup trucks for a week in July.

Jet fuel

A worker walks past gasoline-filled tank trucks at an oil refinery in Utah.

There is not enough jet fuel at many airports in the western United States to meet the growing demand for leisure travel. This could result in the cancellation of some flights or force airlines to make additional stops to refuel on longer routes.

The problem is most pronounced at airports located near popular vacation destinations, including Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

Part of the problem is the shortage of tanker drivers needed to deliver the fuel. It is estimated that 20% of tankers nationwide are parked due to a lack of qualified drivers, according to an industry trade group. This shortage is already affecting service stations.

But airlines and airports are also struggling to get the fuel they need, as pipelines stopped carrying jet fuel when air travel nearly shut down last year. Now, jet fuel cannot get the pipeline space it needs to keep up with the resurgence of air travel.

To alleviate the problem, some planes flying to the affected locations carry more fuel than normal, so they won’t need as much fuel before taking off again.

Nike shoes

If you’re hoping to buy a new pair or two of Nike, you might have to go fast.

Nike could run out of sneakers it sources in Vietnam as the spread of Covid-19 accelerates in the region, according to a report released this month by Panjiva, the supply chain research unit by S&P Global Market Intelligence. He noted that two of Nike’s suppliers in Vietnam have already stopped production.

Nike (OF) said in an email to CNN Business that he was “confident [its] ability to navigate these short-term dynamics and we remain cautious in our planning. . “

School supplies

Back-to-school races are always a nightmare. This year, expect it to be even worse.

Although parents may be used to encountering shortages of items such as sneakers, backpacks and gadgets later in the school shopping season – which typically lasts from mid-July to the end of August. – products should be in limited numbers even earlier. This demand is also hampered by tight inventory levels and delayed shipments, which will impact the ability of retailers to restock products on shelves later in the summer.

“What we’ll likely see is more limited choice and lower inventory levels towards the end of the back-to-school period,” said Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director of GlobalData Retail. “Some consumers will inevitably miss the things they want to buy.”

The categories most at risk of shortage include backpacks, stationery, sports equipment, laptops and tablets, he said.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell fans must live more with less. The popular fast food chain said some of its customers’ favorite items may not be available in American restaurants.

The fast food chain expressed regret on its website, saying that due to “national ingredient shortages and delivery delays” some places may not be able to serve their favorite dishes.

“We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to meet the current desires of Taco Bell fans again soon,” Taco Bell said in a statement to CNN Business. He did not specify which menu items or cities were affected.

– CNN Business’s Chris Isidore, Parija Kavilanz, Moira Ritter and Charlies Riley, Danielle Wiener-Bronner contributed to this report.

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