Flexport's running log of Trump administration tariff actions and trade policy shifts, and what each new measure means for importers and their supply chains. Updated as changes land.
Flexport's running log of Trump administration tariff actions and trade policy shifts, and what each new measure means for importers and their supply chains. Updated as changes land.
The latest U.S. trade numbers do show a drop in real imports, but the situation is neither as dire as it seems, nor necessarily a portent of a faltering global trading system. What we trade can have a lot to do with where we trade, and both have been shifting.
The retail sales numbers for June were troubling. When smoothed and adjusted for inflation, they seemed to show a slowdown – if not an outright drop-off – across most sectors.
Real personal consumption expenditures in April showed their strongest monthly increase since January. U.S. consumers’ enduring dedication to spending has been most pronounced (and least explicable) in the case of durable goods.
The initial IPEF supply chain agreement is long on promises and short on binding commitments.
In its major forecast for global economic conditions, the International Monetary Fund sees a difficult year and ample downside risks. Although it’s not predicting many outright contractions, it does project a global slowdown in both trade and output growth this year.
January’s retail sales numbers show that U.S. consumers are still buying, though not evenly across all sectors and only at a moderate pace. When smoothed and adjusted for goods inflation – or even deflation! – a different view emerges from the ebullient headline numbers.
The latest data on US Personal Income and Outlays showed a seasonally-adjusted slowdown at the end of the year. Looking across 2022, however, goods consumption remained fairly stable. Further, there was evidence that consumers have money to keep buying if they choose to.
Get weekly curated freight news, delivered to your inbox.