Trade
Who actually pays a tariff
The importer of record pays the duty to Customs at the border; who ultimately bears the cost depends on contracts, supply chains, and how much prices can move.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 28, 2026
Trade: Markets and Commerce
Trade examines the rules that govern goods crossing borders: tariff schedules and exclusions, rules of origin, customs classification, export licensing and controls, and the agreements behind them. Explainers work each change through to landed cost on a named product. Useful for sourcing managers, trade counsel and manufacturers with international suppliers.
Trade
Two agencies decide every US dumping case
Commerce sets the margin, the International Trade Commission sets the injury finding, and the statutory clock between them decides when importers start paying.
Priya Vaithilingam · August 20, 2026
Trade
USMCA talks enter a third round
US and Mexican negotiators opened a third round of bilateral discussions in July 2026, with rules of origin as the prize and auto supply chains as the stakes.
Priya Vaithilingam · July 27, 2026
Trade
Port fees quietly reroute the fleets
Fees on Chinese-built vessels touch every carrier calling at US ports, and the cost shows up in freight rates and fleet orders.
Priya Vaithilingam · July 5, 2026
Trade
New Section 301 duties land at 10 and 12.5
Additional tariffs of 10% and 12.5% took effect in 2026 under the unfair-trade statute — a slower, sturdier vehicle than the invalidated emergency path.
Priya Vaithilingam · June 12, 2026