Despite a global push for reduced carbon emissions, energy crises facing countries like China and India are driving demand for coal. Can US producers facing a dying domestic market seize the opportunity?
October 26, 2021Tariffs on imported washing machines have created a favorable pricing environment for US manufacturers
January 13, 2020The natural gas boom associated with expanding tight oil (oil from shale) production has left the US with more natural gas than it can use. This has suppressed prices and made US natural gas highly competitive on the global market. While pipeline exports to Canada and Mexico have increased rapidly, they are still quite small, leaving US suppliers wishing for additional accessible markets. The solution? Liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
November 7, 2019Trade of paper and paperboard products has been roiled by recent environmental initiatives in China. In January 2018, the Chinese government began enforcing its National Sword policy, which banned imports of recycled paper with contamination (presence of foreign objects) rates over 0.5%. Furthermore, as part of the US-China trade war, China has levied tariffs on recovered paper imports. How has this impacted the US paper recycling industry?
October 9, 2019The US footwear market is heavily dependent on Chinese sourcing; as of 2018, the country accounted for 53% of all footwear imports. While this makes China the largest provider of footwear to the US, China’s market share has been falling from a 2010 peak of 76%.
August 7, 2019The sheer volume of spending on food at home by affluent households—which is in excess of $100 billion—makes them an essential consumer segment for food manufacturers, marketers, distributors, and grocers...But, as Packaged Facts reports, it’s not money alone that sets affluent food shoppers apart.
July 1, 2019The aluminum industry is looking up. Historically low aluminum prices have finally risen due to the effect of the US government’s tariffs on imported primary aluminum. However, the future of the industry may not be quite so bright if the tariffs are repealed.
April 10, 2019Price-competitive globally, US producers of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) found extensive opportunities abroad over the past decade, particularly as China and other developing countries built out their infrastructure. In 2017, China accounted for 11% of US PVC exports. As the Trump administration outlines its tariff plans, China has readied its own. Both countries have added a list of second-tier tariffs – primarily focused on chemicals – to be imposed on a case-by-case basis. Will PVC resin make the cut?
July 27, 2018As the Trump administration mulls over making changes to the US ethanol mandate and China proposes tariffs on US agricultural imports, US farmers are growing increasingly anxious. Two key field crops may be significantly impacted by the decisions.
May 9, 2018The Amazon/Whole Foods marriage marks the tipping point in a shift that is already underway, with the brick-and-mortar store of the future still alive and well but vastly different as a result of ever sophisticated mobile apps and new-generation brick-plus-click logistics including store remodels.
October 2, 2017