Datamyne Blog

In the first half of this year, Descartes Datamyne trade data shows, the U.S. swung from net importer to exporter of methanol , a basic petrochemical derived from natural gas. The trade surplus might have been more substantial had shipments to…

As the UK nears its latest deadline for departing the EU, what will happen next remains unclear.  Descartes Datamyne international data – including our new UK database – keeps Brexit’s ongoing effects on global trade in sharp focus. “Entrenched uncertainty” – that’s how Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of…

Starting in March of 2018, the Trump Administration has deployed tariffs and import quotas on select steel and aluminum products under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which authorizes these measures to control imports in the cause of national security. The aim has been to protect…

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 more…

Mexico, steadily rising in rank to No. 12 among exporting nations, has eclipsed China and Canada to become the U.S.’s leading trade partner.   Mexico is now the top U.S. trade partner, ranked by total value of import and export trade, according to Descartes Datamyne’s U.S. Census data for January through…

Despite some of the most popular confections being produced in the United States, the imports of chocolates and candy still represent nearly $9 billion in value annually. For confection imports as well as the raw materials to produce them (HS 17 and 18), the first quarter is typically not…

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 economies.   The U.S. will end its designation of India and…

Waves of new tariffs lifted U.S. waterborne import peak shipping volumes earlier and higher than ever in 2018, while the promise of more to come pushed an atypical December surge.   U.S. import peak shipping volumes charted a new course in 2018, driven largely by steep new U.S. tariffs imposed or…