The information age meets international trade … a guide to international business information on the Internet

Business America, Oct, 1996 by Sandra Yacura

Never in all of human history has so much information been so accessible to so many - including information on international business. As the Internet provides access to millions of pages of information on international trade, it is a great place to start your information hunt. Although there are many private sources for trade information, as well as state and local home pages, this article focuses on the resources provided by the U.S. Government.

The U.S. Government has international trade experts located all over the United States and around the globe. These experts are gathering trade leads, researching markets, calculating trade statistics, and getting contacts for U.S. companies - all to help you get a big boost in your international business efforts. Can you afford to ignore such a vast resource of information? Will your competitors ignore it?

Where Do You Start?

If you are just beginning your search, and do not want to limit it to any particular agency within the U.S. Government, try the mother of all U.S. Government international-trade related Internet sites:

Which page is that? The U.S. Business Advisor International Trade Section

Site address: http://www. business.gov/trade.html

This section of the U.S. Business Advisor provides business with one-stop access to the international resources of the federal government, with the goal of making the relationship between business and government more productive. This home page is not an information source in itself - it "links" to U.S. Government agencies like the International Trade Administration.

Did you know?

That you can find answers to the most frequently asked trade questions, and find market-oriented information for regions and countries?

Which home page has that? The International Trade Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Site address. http://www.ita.doc.gov

Description. The International Trade Administration (ITA) home page focuses on providing U.S. companies with the information they need to export. The (ITA's) home page provides up-to-the-minute information on overseas business opportunities, information by country and information by industry. This site can also locate the ITA office nearest your hometown, and give you direct access to many of the ITA offices across the globe. For an overview of ITA's and all other federal agency export programs, click on the Trade Information Center" button.

In addition, ITA offers direct access to trade statistics that help you look at the big international trade picture. For example, the U.S. Industrial Outlook contains more than 90 tables of statistics for major manufacturing products, including imports and exports. The U.S. Foreign Trade Highlights charts the popularity of U.S. goods and services trade by country and region. The trade statistics page of this site also taps you into state exporting information. Click on the "Trade Statistics" button, and see how much each state is exporting!

Another valuable piece of information found on this site is the Un-tied Aid home page, which lists information on foreign credit available to U.S. exporters.

While at ITA's site, take a look at TradeBase, by clicking on "Information by Industry." TradeBase is an electronic center designed to disseminate vital trade information to the business community.

Examples: You are interested in selling pharmaceuticals in the former Soviet Union, but don't know where to start. Visit ITA's site and click on information by region, and check out a joint venture offer within the Lithuanian page. Or short-cut directly to the page, by typing in http://www.itaiep.doc.gov/eebic/partcust/vill240.htm.> Did you know?

That used clothing is the sixth biggest export to South Africa?

Which home page has that: Stat-USA and the National Trade Data Bank (The "International Marketing Insights" section)

Site address: http://www.stat-usa.gov Price: One-year subscription is $150, or a 90-day subscription is $50

Description: Stat-USA is a giant information source that provides economic and business data from more than 50 federal sources. It delivers hundreds of thousands of publications and reports to U.S. businesses, and is the central location for all federal information related to international trade, including the National Trade Data Bank. This home page is customer-driven, and includes a wealth of information that is easy to find. Try Stat-USA's "Trade Leads" section, which provides top trade leads gathered from all over the world. Even more impressive, Stat-USA has "Market Research Reports" for more than 20,000 specific sectors and countries, and more general "Country Commercial Guides" to supplement your efforts.(See the article on page 7 of this issue titled "Improved Market Research Programs Help U.S. Exporters Find Opportunities Abroad.")

Within Stat-USA is the National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). NTDB is the U.S. Government's most comprehensive source for international trade data. It provides quick and easy access to thousands of files, including basic export information, trade statistics, market research reports, overseas contacts, how-to guides, and trade opportunities. It is the U.S. Government's most comprehensive source of world trade data, consisting of more than 130 separate trade and business related programs. By using the NTDB, companies get immediate access to inexpensive information that until now only Fortune 500 companies could afford. Topics on the NTDB include: export opportunities by industry, country, and product; foreign companies or importers looking for specific products; how-to market guides, demographic, political, and socio-economic conditions in hundreds of countries; and much more. NTDB offers one-stop-shopping for trade information from more than 20 Federal sources ... You no longer need to know which federal agency produces the information all you need to know is the NTDB. This is the only home page featured in this article that requires a fee.