Every day there are thousands of shipments that come into or go out of U.S. ports. The information about these shipments is valuable to businesspeople, because with it they can get an idea of what their competitors and customers are buying or selling. You can get the raw data about these shipments from the U.S. government, but it's based on ship manifests and bills of lading, which are not always accurate. That's where PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions (http:// www.piers.com) comes in. PIERS has specialized in enhancing and packaging this kind of information for 30 years, and they know the difference between data and competitive intelligence.

PIERS adds value to the raw data by using reporters at 48 U.S. ports who compare customs information against shippers' documents. These professionals use their experience and industry expertise to verify the records, and they translate it all into information you can use. When I tried the PIERS service, I was impressed at the amount of information available. I searched the Trade Profiles part of their site, and I found it remarkably easy to navigate. You just type in a company name, or D&B DUNS® number, and you can get a detailed listing of its recent imports and exports, by country, port, and commodity. You'll see the value in dollars, the number of shipments, and the volume. You get a capsule profile of the company, with contact information and email access to key players, plus its top five commodities, and its biggest trading partners. You can also get lists of companies by the products they trade, the countries they trade with, the company's volume of trade, and geographic location. You can save your search results, print them out, or e-mail them. The U.S. Trade Profiles are just one part of the PIERS catalogue. There are also trade databases for China, India, Mexico, and South America, as well as various other reports and databases about different aspects of world trade. PIERS has subscription plans, as well as a "pay-as- you-go" option. This service is definitely worth a try if you need accurate shipping information in a form you can use.

STRUCTURED TRADE AND EXPORT FINANCE IN AFRICA CONFERENCE September 17th & 18th, 2008 – Sandton Sun and Towers, Johannesburg, South Africa http://www.euromoneyseminars.com/stefaf Africa has always been a place to do high-margin trade finance business. However, with commodity prices so high and demand rife around the world, Africa is receiving more attention from the industry than ever before. Deals are becoming bankable that were not just a year ago. This means a flurry of activity across many countries and a multitude of commodities. Moreover, the global liquidity shortage means it is time for countercyclical products like trade, structured commodity and export finance to come to the fore. The Structured Trade and Export Finance in Africa Conference looks at the opportunities the current climate is creating, and the challenges still holding the industry back. This is an international event attended by the senior decision-makers of the industry. This includes exporters, importers, traders, international financiers, local banks, agencies, insurers and lawyers. The pan-African event for the commodity, trade and export finance industry! For registration and more information: Visit: www.euromoneyseminars.com/stefaf Email: registrations@euromoneyplc.com Call: +44 (0)20 7779 8999

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