Global Trade is Moving On — Without the U.S.

One way of looking at China’s trade economy in December and for the full 2025 year is its export surge, amplified by a weak currency, deflation at home, and inflation in most of the rest of the world. China pumped up total monthly exports 6.6% to $357.8 billion in December from $335.6 billion over the… Continue reading Global Trade is Moving On — Without the U.S.

TDM’s Top 10 Trade Trends to Watch in 2026

container yard closeup, port of ningbo zhoushan, China

Happy New Year. While we wait on the Supreme Court to rule whether the Trump administration is entitled to apply tariffs on national security grounds, global trade grinds on. We at Trade Data Monitor are paying attention to what’s happening via the prism of official trade statistics. It’s a radically different world than when I started covering… Continue reading TDM’s Top 10 Trade Trends to Watch in 2026

Chinese Exports Down 1.1% in October

Aerial view a lot of new car for import and export shipping by ship , Smart dealership at car depot, Car at car park before shipping to customer, Car after production at Smart Factory industry

The Chinese export juggernaut finally started to show the impact of protectionism and weaker Western consumer markets in October.  A week after Presidents Trump and Xi settled a new trade deal that cut tariffs and put off their trade war for a year, China reported a 1.1% year-on-year drop in exports to $305.3 billion.  To… Continue reading Chinese Exports Down 1.1% in October

50 U.S. States Have 50 Trade Economies

Box with shopping cart logo and USA America flag, Import Export Shopping online or eCommerce finance delivery service store product shipping, trade, supplier concept.

The politics of trade in the U.S. have gotten complicated during this century, mainly because deindustrialization in the Rust Belt has cost so many factories and jobs. The free trade consensus of the 1990s that led to NAFTA and China joining the World Trade Organization in 2001 is dead.  But it shouldn’t be lost on… Continue reading 50 U.S. States Have 50 Trade Economies