Customs brokers are caught in the middle of China tariffs debate

Jul 8, 2022
As the White House decides the fate of the Trump-era taxes, customs broker Gretchen Blough is dealing with more uncertainty.
A truck drives by stacks of shipping containers at the Port of Oakland on May 20.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The customs business has become all about handling the unexpected

Apr 13, 2022
"Everything is just a constant pivot," says Gretchen Blough, a customs broker in Erie, Pennsylvania.
"There hasn't been a lot of warning to some of the issues that have happened, and we've just had to make do," Gretchen Blough says of the customs business.
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Congress strips Russia of "most-favored nation" trade status

Apr 8, 2022
That means the U.S. could impose punitive tariffs on Russian imports.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

How Russian sanctions could speed up the corrosion of globalization

Mar 23, 2022
Adam Posen of the Peterson Institute says that could lead to less varied, costlier goods and a more divided and politically uncertain world.
As globalization corrodes, Adam Posen argues, American consumers could see a smaller variety of goods at higher prices.
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Economists say Trump’s China trade policy is harming U.S. Why is it so hard for Biden to change course?

Feb 22, 2022
“It’s hard to do anything that doesn't end up hurting us more than it hurts them," says New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
“It’s hard to do anything that doesn't end up hurting us more than it hurts them," says The New York Times' Paul Krugman.
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How the shipping container revolutionized freight and trade

Nov 23, 2021
Before the shipping container, goods were manually loaded into barrels and wooden creates.
Malcolm McLean realized it didn’t make sense to put entire trucks on a ship, so he came up with the container system.

The president is about to lose a little bit of power

Jun 30, 2021
The trade promotion authority expires July 1. What is it, and why is President Joe Biden letting it lapse?
On July 1, President Joe Biden will lose the trade promotion authority, a power that has come and gone for presidents.
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

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Brexit border controls disrupt Northern Ireland business, provoke pro-British backlash

Mar 29, 2021
Post-Brexit trade friction makes some citizens in the province feel like foreigners in their own country.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was meant to effectively keep the province in the EU but has led to unintended consequences.
Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

British "booze cruise" to France dialed back under new trade rules

Feb 16, 2021
The pandemic has limited travel in Europe. But once it starts up again, Britons will face lower limits on how much wine, beer and spirits they can purchase in France without paying taxes.
Stephane de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images

One way to value currencies? Compare Big Mac prices.

Jan 20, 2021
What the popular McDonald’s sandwich has to do with currency manipulation, trade policy and the incoming Biden administration.
The idea is that by drawing such comparisons across countries, you can determine whether prices are too high or too low relative to overall economic output.
Courtesy McDonald's via YouTube