While Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016 and companies had about four years to prepare for the change, there was not much clarity on what Brexit would mean for companies until Dec. 24, 2020, when the post-Brexit trade deal—the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement—was finalized. Plenty of questions remain about what the specific impacts of the deal will ... READ MORE >
exports
CHART OF THE DAY: An impending end to the trade downdraft
Activity at U.S. seaports indicates recovering domestic and international economies at the end of last year. Though tapering off a bit in December, loaded import containers processed grew by an average of 20% in the fourth quarter. And export activity -- which is still worrisome in terms of global economic demand -- was down less than 2% over the last three ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: West Coast container activity suggests an end-of-year pause in the recovery
Import activity at West Coast ports continues to anticipate robust consumer demand despite rising prices and the first hint of a pause caused by the resurgence in the coronavirus at the end of the year. Seaports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and Seattle/Tacoma handled 22.2% more containers in December 2020 than were processed in December 2019. ... READ MORE >
The U.S. external sector: Trade channel to support 2021 recovery
We expect the trade channel to be a major part of the 2021 growth narrative as the Biden administration mends fences with the major American trade partners, excluding China, early next year. In fact, one can already observe the stirring in animal spirits in the global economy as the nascent recovery in the United States and abroad gets underway. The ... READ MORE >
Global trade recovery: Imports at seaports rise, but exports are still in shock
Activity at North American seaports picked up over the summer, showing gains for the third straight month and indicating that the nascent recovery in the economy is underway. Make no mistake: The global growth channel will be an important engine of activity early in the recovery and the United States will need to take a look at paring back the ... READ MORE >