The torrential rain made the presenter's metaphor easy to grasp. The downpours that accompanied the first day of the Círculo de Economía Annual Meeting this Monday afternoon were a clear example of the geopolitical disasters that Catalan companies must navigate at the present time. To answer the question of how they do it, the event brought together the top executives of three globalized companies based in Barcelona—Mango, Fluidra, and Penguin Random House—to understand how they manage their operations at a time when US President Donald Trump can shake up global trade with just a post on his social media.