Category: Trade Policy and Tariffs

Upcoming USTR port fees targeting Chinese-built vessels are set to upend transpacific shipping costs, squeeze capacity, and ripple through U.S. supply chains as early as 2026.

Weakening truck and trailer orders, freight volume declines, and newly expanded Section 232 tariffs on aluminum derivatives signal mounting pressure on margins and investment decisions across the commercial vehicle sector.

Rising Midwest and European premiums are giving Canadian aluminum producers a rare boost, restoring pricing power just ahead of key 2026 negotiations.

July's producer price index (PPI) and manufacturing survey (M3) data show an aluminum sector that looks steady on paper but is shrinking once inflation is stripped away, with costs cascading unevenly through the supply chain.

There’s a lot of news to keep track of, so we’re lending a hand with highlights from the past month and what they mean for you.

It's not too late to catch up on what potential scrap export bans could mean for the market.

The August AMU survey reveals lead times lengthening for sheet but easing for billet and extrusions, with distributors, producers, manufacturers, and recyclers each reporting conditions shaped by their position in the value chain.

U.S. aluminum buyers and sellers are bracing for a bruising 2026 contract season as tariffs, tight supply, and shifting scrap economics threaten to push Midwest premiums and upcharges to unprecedented levels.

Container freight rates keep sliding for a tenth straight week, with looming U.S. tariffs on Chinese vessels and rerouted Gulf shipments reshaping global trade costs.

They're low. This is what's going on.