The Department of Commerce International Trade Administration (ITA) has reached a preliminary determination that 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane from China is being sold at below fair value in the US and calculated countervailing duties. Mexichem Fluor, which markets the...
Will Look South Initiative Yield Results? Potential’s There.
by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor Business executives and trade analysts generally applaud the Obama administration’s new Look South Initiative, I found. (See my related post for details on this program to boost US exports.) “The initiative has the potential to help...
Mexico Poised to Surpass Japan as Source for US Auto Imports
Japan, the No. 2 source for autos imported by the US since the 1970s, will likely be overtaken by Mexico this year, according to a report from Bloomberg that cites IHS Automotive estimates. Mexican auto exports have quadrupled from 1993 to 2013, says Bloomberg, while...
Suntory Bets on Global Demand for Beam’s Distinctive Product of the US
In taking over Jim Beam, makers of the world’s best-selling bourbon, Suntory is not only aiming for a bigger presence in the US market, say analysts. The Japanese company is also banking on the world’s growing thirst for the spirit that Congress declared a...
SolarWorld Moves to Close Loophole in Anti-Dumping Orders
SolarWorld has petitioned the US International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce to close a loophole in year-old trade remedies – through which, it claims, Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers are dumping under-priced solar panels on the US market. It was...
Brazil’s In-Balance Trade Offers One Sweet Saving Opportunity
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist As promised last time, Chemcost’s search for “The New Cheap”* changes course this month and heads south to Brazil. What we find is that Brazil’s trade in the 10 chemical commodities that make up Datamyne’s US Best Price Benchmark...
Venezuelan Trade Dilemma: Lift GDP or Lower Inflation?
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Latin American team reports Venezuelan GDP has slowed to 1.1% in the third quarter from 2.6% in the second quarter. The EIU analysts are particularly struck by a third-quarter contraction in Venezuelan imports of goods and services of...
Commerce Dept. Wants Your Input on Advancing US-Mexico Economic Dialogue
Here’s a chance to weigh in – and maybe help shape – trade policy. The Department of Commerce is seeking public comment on the topics to be addressed by the US-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) initiated by Presidents Barack Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto in...
ITC Weighs Inquiry into Dumping of Refrigerant by China
Mexichem Fluor has petitioned the Dept. of Commerce International Trade Commission to open antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigations into imports of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane from China. Mexichem Fluor markets the refrigerant under the registered...
Fresh, Not Canned: Changing Tastes Shape Pineapple Trade Trend
US consumers are losing their taste for canned foods, according to Euromonitor International. As Business Week reports, while the recession gave lower-cost canned foods a reprieve, the long-term trend has been a steady decline in retail sales of canned, jarred and...