A return to the 25% duty rate on U.S. automotive exports to China is set to enter into effect on December 15th, and U.S. auto-makers are worried about the effects. Overseas sales of U.S.-made cars have yet to recover after last year’s tariff cut shipments to China by...
U.S. to End GSP Eligibility for India and Turkey
The Office of the United States Trade Representative announced an end to Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility for India and Turkey after finding the countries no longer meet the conditions for getting duty-free access to U.S. markets as developing...
Hot Pursuit: Competition for EV Battery Metals Revs Up
A global scramble is on to secure supplies of EV battery metals – the cobalt, graphite and lithium – that go into the batteries that make electric vehicles go. The global market’s growing embrace of electric vehicles is driving demand, and sparking volatility...
U.S. Electronics Imports and Exports: Market Trends and Analysis
As the impact of shifting trade policy on the electronics sector remains to be fully seen, Descartes Datamyne has released it’s quarterly commodity report that contains detailed import and export data that shows the early effect of tariff changes. In the first half of...
U.S. and Canada’s Ongoing Lumber Dispute
Since 1982, the softwood lumber market has been a hot topic between the United States and Canada. Both countries are heavy producers with the United States producing an average of 2.9 billion board ft. (bbf) per month and Canadian sawmill’s producing 2.37 bbf/month....
Snapshot: U.S. Automobile Imports and Exports
As the U.S. Commerce Department examines whether to impose section 232 tariffs on passenger vehicles, data from Descartes DatamyneTM reveals significant changes in U.S. automobile imports and exports. U.S. Automobile Imports According to data from Descartes Datamyne,...
NVOCC’s Import Cargo into the Top 25 U.S. Ports Outpaces GDP
Outpacing the gross domestic product (GDP), Non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) accounted for some 11.25 million 20-foot equivalent containers of import cargo (FAK, freight of all kinds) at the top 25 U.S. ports for the first six months of 2018. This is...
Updating the EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement
Mexico and the European Union (EU) have agreed to update their existing free trade agreement to further improve an already positive trade relationship. According to data from Descartes DatamyneTM, $73 billion USD worth of goods was traded between the two regions in...
Our Annual Big Book of U.S. Port Statistics
We are pleased to publish Descartes’ Annual U.S. Port Report, covering the top 20 U.S. ocean ports ranked by import Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Ports are the lifeblood of trade, and the goods that flow in and out of ports can speak to key patterns and the...
Vanilla Prices Spiral Up – Here’s Why
Vanilla prices are spiraling past silver in the global marketplace, as limited supply is outstripped by growing demand for all-natural ingredients. Worries over this year’s harvest in Madagascar may nudge vanilla prices – and the cost of this summer’s ice cream cones...