Sophisticated and globally connected supply chains have made the movement of goods more efficient and accessible but, at the same time, susceptible to economic crisis and natural disasters such as the financial crisis in 2008 and the Asian Tsunami in 2011. While many...
Coronavirus Stress Tests Supply Chains and Slows Trade Flow
Companies in diverse sectors, including consumer electronics, automobiles and automotive parts, pharmaceuticals, and apparel are warning they are mere weeks away from running out of production-critical supplies as Chinese factories shut down and cross-border commerce...
USMCA Retools the North American Trade Bloc for the 2020s
Approved by Congress and signed by President Trump on January 29, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is one big step closer to entering into force. Mexico was first to ratify the trade pact on June 19, 2019. Canada’s House of Commons will be taking up the USMCA this...
U.S.-China Phase One Agreement Focuses on Relationship Reset
President Donald Trump and China’s Vice Premier Liu He have signed an initial agreement that commits China to policy changes on intellectual property (IP), technology transfer, financial services, and currency management. China also promises substantial purchases of...
Trade Policy Shifts Flatten U.S. Import Peak Shipping
U.S. tariffs on imports from China consigned the traditional peak shipping season to the ghosts of Christmases past this year. The U.S.-China trade war pushed the U.S. import shipping volume trend line for 2019 to an early peak in July before driving TEUs [20-foot...
U.S.-Japan Trade Talks Yield a Partial Deal
While negotiations between the U.S. and Japan are continuing with a view to a free trade agreement in 2020, the trade partners on September 25 announced a partial deal – an “early harvest” – that will open Japanese markets to more U.S. agricultural exports and reduce...
Chemicals Industry Trends: Shale Lifts U.S. Exports of Petrochemicals
In the first half of this year, Descartes Datamyne trade data shows, the U.S. swung from net importer to exporter of methanol [HS290511], a basic petrochemical derived from natural gas. The trade surplus might have been more substantial had shipments to China not...
Preparing for Brexit: Amid Uncertainty, Count on Trade Data to Measure the Impact
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...
The Broad-Gauge Impact of Section 232 Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum
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....
Car Alarm: U.S. Auto Exports & The Impact of Shifting Trade Policy
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...