Trade
Pentagon takes big stake in new Korea Zinc smelter in Tennessee, will get 10% of company
The Defense Department is getting a 40% stake in a $7.4 billion mineral smelter to be built in Tennessee in partnership with Korea Zinc, Reuters reported Monday. The critical minerals smelting and processing facility could produce 540,000 tons of materials in the U.S. per year, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The deal comes as […]
Read More
New Trump tariffs collection hits $200 billion, Customs says
President Donald Trump smiles from the field before the 126th America’s Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Dec. 13, 2025. Patrick Smith | Getty Images The United States has collected more than $200 billion in tariffs this year as a result of new duties imposed […]
Read More
India goods exports rise in November despite U.S. tariffs
An employee works inside a textile mill at Bhilwara in India’s Rajasthan state, on July 6, 2025. Himanshu Sharma | Afp | Getty Images India’s total goods exports for November rose 19% on year to $38.13 billion, with sharp improvement in the country’s trade with U.S. India’s merchandise goods trade deficit, which had touched a […]
Read More
High-end Swiss chocolatier Läderach rules out U.S. production despite tariff shock
Key Points CEO Johannes Läderach categorically stated “never” when asked if his company ever considered opening a production site in the U.S. to circumvent export duties. The Swiss chocolatier faced a shock over the summer as U.S. tariffs on Swiss imports jumped to 39%, though they have since settled at 15%. The levies came on […]
Read More
‘Spoof’ ship: Seized oil tanker Skipper hid location data, visited Iran and Venezuela
Skipper port calls in 2025 MarineTraffic The big crude oil tanker that U.S. forces seized Wednesday off the coast of Venezuela since 2024 has shown a “clear pattern” of spoofing its location to hide where it actually was, according to a leading energy consulting firm. And data suggests that the Guyana-flagged tanker identified as Skipper […]
Read More
Trump says ‘I guess’ U.S. could keep seized oil tanker — but a sale appears likely
U.S. forces abseil onto an oil tanker during a raid described by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as its seizure by the United States off the coast of Venezuela, Dec. 10, 2025, in a still image from video. U.S. Attorney General | Via Reuters After the U.S. military seized a large crude oil tanker off […]
Read More
GOP lawmakers seek Trump aid for agricultural equipment after tariff pressure
A Deere & Co. tractor in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Republican lawmakers are appealing to President Donald Trump for more farm relief and aid for agricultural equipment manufacturers amid his tariff blitz, even as the […]
Read More
Swiss government says new 15% U.S. tariff ceiling retroactive to mid-November
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testifies before the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images The Swiss government said on Wednesday that a previously announced agreement to reduce U.S. tariffs on that country’s imports […]
Read More
U.S.-Indonesia trade deal is in danger of falling apart, FT reports
Indonesia and United States flags together realtions textile cloth fabric texture Oleksii Liskonih | Istock | Getty Images The trade deal between Indonesia and the U.S. is at risk of unravelling as Washington officials view that Jakarta is going back on the terms of the agreement, according to The Financial Times. The report, citing people […]
Read More
China is buying U.S. soybeans again — but falling short of goal set by Trump trade agreement
China has resumed buying U.S. soybeans, but still lags goals set by a trade agreement with President Donald Trump, an NBC News analysis found. China previously was a top buyer of U.S. soybeans, but last spring stopped purchasing American soybeans because of a trade war launched by Trump. The country resumed purchasing soybeans in October […]
Read More