Latest from Scott Tong

• Oct 6, 2018

  Growth in oil and gas demand may not be dominated by cars

  

  When we report on the world’s thirst for energy, we often miss something: chemicals made from oil and gas. A new report Friday finds petrochemical demand in the world is surging for things like synthetic rubber, packaging, fertilizer and detergents. In the long run, chemicals may be a bigger driver of world oil demand than […]

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• Oct 2, 2018

  Why some people are worried about drug patent protections in the new NAFTA

  

  The trade agreement reached over the weekend between the U.S., Canada and Mexico includes longer intellectual property protection periods for the expensive class of drugs known as biologics.

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• Sep 25, 2018

  U.S. importer struggles to respond to trade war

  

  A California-based importer of Chinese-made auto part says he has no choice but to pass the cost of new U.S. tariffs onto consumers.

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• Sep 20, 2018

  Tariff price hikes may be seen but supply chains are often opaque

  When it comes to tariffs, consider today T minus five. In five days, more than 5,000 types of goods from China will be added to a list of tariffs imposed by the United States. That likely means higher prices for leather handbags. Fruit juice. Rain jackets. We may be surprised by what’s on the list. […]

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• Sep 10, 2018

  Trade war forces automakers Ford and Volvo to cancel big plans

  

  President Donald Trump’s tariffs — and talk of more — are driving global automakers to make some big decisions. Volvo, which has a Chinese parent company and makes a couple vehicles on the mainland there, canceled a planned initial public offering of its stock, citing the dark cloud of tariffs. Ford, which makes a version of […]

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• Sep 10, 2018

  China looms over EU-U.S. trade talks

  

  On Monday, America’s top trade official is in Brussels, talking tariffs with the European Union. A couple months ago the two sides agreed to a trade war truce. But with the Trump administration constantly reviewing trade policy, it’s hard to predict how things will go. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

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• Sep 6, 2018

  Road to recovery may be long for some emerging markets

  The value of emerging market currencies keeps tumbling. Argentina’s peso has lost half its value against the dollar this year. Same with the lira in Turkey. Investors are souring on Brazil. India. South Africa. Mexico. Indonesia. Some of these countries have been through currency and financial crises before. And each case is different. But sometimes […]

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• Aug 30, 2018

  Will the inflation sweet spot be sweet for consumers?

  Someone at the Federal Reserve is probably smiling right now. Six years ago, the Fed set a “target” rate for inflation, a Goldilocks level of 2 percent. Not too high, as in out-of-control prices and not too low, signaling a weak economy. Today, inflation has finally inched up to that target. So, what does that mean for […]

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• Aug 29, 2018

  Supreme Court nominee could impact how regulations are made if confirmed

  

  The confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, is scheduled to begin next week. Kavanaugh is likely to face questions on his view of a legal principal called the Chevron Doctrine. It says in cases where a law is ambiguous, regulators have room to interpret […]

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• Aug 14, 2018

  Bayer facing possible growing legal costs, consumer backlash after Roundup jury award

  

  It’s been a rough day for Monsanto, the maker of the weedkiller Roundup. On Friday a jury awarded a California groundskeeper $289.2 million, concluding that exposure to Roundup caused his cancer. On Monday stock in Bayer, the company that acquired Monsanto earlier this year, tumbled 10 percent. Click the audio player above to hear the […]

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