Global Trade's 'Recovery' Is Stabilisation at a Lower Level
A projected 2.5% rebound in 2026 follows a contraction — and lands in a world where an effective 7.2% US tariff rate has become the planning assumption.
Trade
Canada Softens Seafood Counter-Tariffs Even as Talks Break Down
Ottawa is walking back retaliatory duties on seafood while negotiations with Washington collapse — a distinction between managing escalation and reaching agreement.
Pharmaceutical Tariffs Reach Every Remaining Company on 29 September
Duties on patented medicines and their ingredients took effect for some firms on 31 July. The exemption for the rest expires at the end of this month.
Cheese Names Are Holding Up a US-Mexico Trade Deal
Mexico says it is optimistic about an agreement after talks with Canada collapsed, but a dispute over geographical food names has become a genuine obstacle.
The Effective US Tariff Rate Settles Around 7.2%
Excluding refunds for illegally collected duties, the 2026 rate marks a durable shift in American trade policy rather than a temporary negotiating posture.
Trump Imposes Double-Digit Tariffs Over Forced Labor Concerns
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption toggle caption Mark Schiefelbein/AP WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is going ahead with new double-digit tariffs on dozens of U.S.
U.S. Lifts Blockade as 60-Day Clock Starts on Iran Deal
In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on Thursday, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz. Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP via Getty Images U.S. forces have lifted their blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, U.S.
China's Zero‑Tariff Africa Deal: Who Benefits?
The first shipments of avocados from Kenya arrived in China under Beijing's new zero-tariff rule early this month. A clear sign, analysts say, that the deal is starting to have real effects. The policy, which came into effect on May 1, gives Africa's biggest economies tariff-free access to China's market for the next two years.
Trump-donor CEO Pushes Tariffs to Weaken Quartz Rivals
Cambria CEO Marty Davis speaks on the job site of the countertop company's new $80 million quartz processing plant and rail center in Randolph, Minn., on August 13, 2025.
Americans on China: Tariffs, Iran and Global Standing
President Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025. Trump heads to Beijing for another meeting with Xi on Tuesday.
EU Approves Sanctions on West Bank Settlers
Foreign ministers of the European Union on Monday agreed to a set of sanctions aimed at Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
When Shipping Lanes Become Geopolitical Weapons
Could imposing a toll to pass through the Strait of Malacca, the narrow stretch of water that connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific, be a profitable business? Indonesia's Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa seemed to float the idea at the end of April.