The US goods and services trade deficit expanded by $23 billion to $77.6 billion in May 2026, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on 7 July, driven by a sharp rise in imports and a fall in exports.
Tag: tariffs
Posted inEconomy
UK-India free trade deal enters force July 15 with Scotch whisky tariffs halved
The UK-India FTA takes effect on 15 July, halving Indian tariffs on Scotch whisky from 150% to 75% and opening markets across pharmaceuticals, cars and financial services.
Posted inMarkets
COMEX copper hits record 652,000-tonne stockpile as US tariff ruling approaches
US copper inventories have surged eightfold to a record 652,200 tonnes as buyers front-run a Section 232 tariff decision that could impose a 30% levy on refined copper imports by 2028.
Posted inEconomy
US declines to extend USMCA, forcing annual reviews of a $2 trillion trade pact
USTR Jamieson Greer announced July 1 that the US will not renew USMCA beyond 2036, opting instead for annual renegotiations that leave North American trade in permanent uncertainty.
Posted inEconomy
USMCA’s first joint review opens as North American trade faces its highest tariff pressure in decades
The Free Trade Commission convened on 1 July 2026 to begin the USMCA’s six-year review, with Mexico facing a 9.8% average tariff rate and the three nations deciding whether to extend or let the pact expire in 2036.
Posted inEconomy
US and India near a trade deal with a July 24 tariff deadline forcing pace
USTR Jamieson Greer completed a June 22-24 New Delhi visit with both sides saying a trade deal is imminent before the July 24 tariff deadline on Indian goods.
Posted inEconomy
A second US court kills Trump’s 10% tariff, leaving trade policy in legal limbo
A US trade court ruled Trump’s 10% global import surcharge unlawful in May, the second major judicial blow to the administration’s tariff strategy in 2026, with the levy now set to expire in July.
Posted inEconomy
US wholesale inflation hits 6% as energy costs and tariffs combine
US producer prices jumped 1.4% in April — nearly triple the forecast — lifting the annual PPI rate to 6%, its highest since late 2022, as energy and tariff pass-throughs both accelerated.
Posted inEconomy
Tariffs and tanker rerouting are redrawing the world’s trade map
The combination of US tariff barriers and Hormuz-driven shipping reroutes has added weeks to delivery times and billions in freight costs, with global goods trade in Q1 2026 recording its sharpest quarterly contraction since the pandemic.
Posted inEconomy
IMF warns Iran war and tariffs are choking the global recovery
The Fund’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook identified a new combined threat to growth: persistent US tariff disputes layered on top of a Middle East energy shock that has upended the low-inflation environment central banks spent three years building.