by John M. Peterson, guest columnist For a domestic manufacturing industry struggling against unfair import competition, few things can be as frustrating as going through the long, high-cost process of obtaining an antidumping (AD) or countervailing duty (CVD) order...
Road to Cuba for US Exporters: A Journey over Peaks and Valleys
by John S. Kavulich, guest columnist For US businesses, normalizing US-Cuban commercial relations presents the prospect of 11.3 million consumers residing 93 miles south of Key West, Florida. Taken together, they make up a market where awareness of and preference for...
Enforce and Protect Act Regulations Raise Risks for Importers
by John M. Peterson, guest columnist New Customs Enforce and Protect Act regulations have exposed US importers to heightened risk of investigation and stiff penalties for any part they may play in evading antidumping or countervailing duties – AD/CVD – on products...
US Importer Supply Chains Disrupted by Hanjin’s Bankruptcy
The bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping has left thousands of TEUs in cargos at sea, with Hanjin vessels being turned away from ports of entry or, as reported by CNBC, seized in Chinese ports. Ranked sixth in market share for Asia-North America shipping routes in first-half...
Hot Metal: Lithium in Global Trade
Lithium is this year’s “hottest metal,” says USA Today, beating out gold, with another price spike expected this fall. There are no exchange reference prices for lithium as there are for gold. The Financial Times cites estimates from the research group Mineral...
Next Door but Off-limits: Cuban Market for US Agri Exports
By Simons Chase, guest columnist The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA) of 2000 launched a boom in exports from the US to Cuba that had previously been restricted since the early 1960s. US exports to Cuba rose from about $7 million in 2001 to a...
East Coast Overtaking West Coast Ports in Imports? Not So Fast
The first super-sized cargo vessels to pass through the newly expanded Panama Canal have begun arriving in ports along the East Coast – starting with the MOL Benefactor. The Mitsui O.S.K. Lines neopanamax containership made the first commercial transit through the...
A Toy Story of US Imports | Infographic
A Toy Story of US Imports FAQs: C’mon, are kids still playing with toys? Despite the fact that your child can likely run circles around you on a smartphone or tablet, kids actually still play with toys (although they seem to be more brand conscious). According to the...
Mattel vs Hasbro: Barbie and the Princesses
Mattel and Hasbro have always been rivals in the US toy market. But the Mattel vs Hasbro rivalry was across the toy store aisle, with Mattel ruling the girls’ side of the aisle, under the leadership of its star Barbie, while Hasbro worked the boys’ side with games,...
US Apparel Imports Gain in April but Continue Long-term Slide
US apparel imports posted a 1.77% gain in April over March, but were down -4.94% compared with the same month a year ago, our data shows. Hard to call April’s positive result the start of a rebound: As Sourcing Journal reports, weak demand and muted growth remain the...