In this week’s Roar: China’s trade surplus, what if the Supreme Court rules against tariffs, a slow rebound at the Suez Canal, technology’s place in supply chain strategies, and how communication affects supply chains. By the end of 2025, China’s trade surplus sat at a record $1.2 trillion, an increase of 20%, mainly due to exports to Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America, offsetting declines to the U.S. This growth was fueled by demand for autos, chips, and electrical goods. While...

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On January 14, President Trump issued two proclamations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232) addressing national security risks associated with imports of processed critical minerals and semiconductors. The actions follow U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) investigations initiated in 2025 on critical minerals and semiconductors, reflecting an expanded use of Section 232 authorities to reshape supply chains for technologies viewed as essential to U.S. defense, infrastructure, and economic security. While the proclamations take different approaches — one establishing a pathway for...

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On December 31, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation (the amendment), delaying the increase in tariffs for certain finished wood products until January 1, 2027. The amendment modifies Proclamation 10976, which imposed tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on certain imports of timber, lumber, and derivative wood products (Section 232 wood tariffs). The original action established additional duties on softwood timber and lumber, upholstered wooden furniture, and kitchen cabinets and vanities, and it scheduled significant rate increases for...

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In this week’s Roar: Trans-Pacific Ocean rates are up, the challenges of moving inventory closer to customers, low U.S. manufacturing activity, the new EU Emissions Trading System rules, and building a data-driven supply chain. Trans-Pacific Ocean rates are trending up ahead of the Lunar New Year. The causes included shippers speeding up shipments ahead of the holiday and geopolitics still weighing on the global supply chain. For now, despite some improvements, Red Sea diversions remain an issue, forcing longer and costlier routes. Lingering...

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January 9, 2026 As we ring in the new year, we want to make you aware of key issues affecting consumers that we expect lawmakers and regulators to focus on over the next 12 months. Below are the top transatlantic consumer protection issues to watch out for in 2026: Regulators will actively enforce laws that apply to subscription services. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may propose a new Negative Option Rule, and detailed rules governing subscription services will come into...

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Key Takeaways: Hundreds of new cases have been filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade (“CIT”) since the November 5, 2025 oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”) in the appeal challenging the legality of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) as the statutory authority to impose tariffs and seeking to preserve potential refund rights for IEEPA-based tariffs paid by the plaintiffs. On December 15, 2025, the CIT denied a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking...

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