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...
The Top U.S. Trade Partner is Now Mexico
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...
Easter Sunday: A Record High First Quarter Chocolate & Candy Imports
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...
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...
Trade War Reshapes U.S. Import Peak Shipping
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...
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...