Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Why China loves American natural gas more than it hates our tariffs

Jul 11, 2018
Ever since the shale revolution turned the U.S. into one of the world’s biggest energy exporters, other countries have been clamoring to buy American oil. One product in particular is seeing huge demand abroad – liquefied natural gas. Refineries turn natural gas into liquid to make it easier to ship overseas. In fact, as trade […]

Your new tariff questions, answered

Jun 22, 2018
Bourbon, retaliation and ... more bourbon.
A Chinese worker loads aluminium tapes at a plant in Huaibei, in east China's Anhui Province, in 2017.
STR/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s why U.S. small businesses don’t export more

May 21, 2018
The Commerce Department kicks off World Trade Week on Monday. It’s honoring 43 U.S. exporters. Thirty-three of them are small- or mid-sized businesses. But as it turns out, small businesses could be exporting more. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

U.S. scrap exports to China just came to a screeching halt

May 11, 2018
One expert says the monthlong suspension could impact an estimated $400 million worth of trade.
A Chinese laborer sorts plastic bottles for recycling in Dong Xiao Kou village on the outskirts of Beijing.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images

Is globalism a failed policy?

Apr 24, 2018
The economy is doing well, but the average person is angry. "The alternative is that you change the social contract," one expert says.
“You can get rid of Trump, but, I mean, all of the Trumpism in the United States is real and is coming for us,” says Ian Bremmer, president of the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group.
Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Relief and some concern at Xi Jinping’s trade speech

Apr 10, 2018
In the frequent exchanges on trade between the U.S. and China, it was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s turn to offer his country’s take. Speaking to the Boao Forum for Asia today, Xi struck a  conciliatory tone. He said China is committed to opening up its economy more to foreign businesses and products. So what do […]

Where do NAFTA renegotiations stand?

Apr 10, 2018
After seven rounds of brokering a revamped deal, there are still major sticking points to discuss between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

In a U.S.-China trade dispute, Iowa farmers may be the bargaining chips

Apr 5, 2018
With the announced Chinese tariffs on U.S. exports, things are looking pretty tough if you’re a farmer, and more so if you’re a farmer in Iowa. Five of the state’s central agriculture products — soybeans, corn, ethanol, beef and pork — would be hit if the tariffs go into effect. And that’s a big deal […]

Why the U.S. needs foreign steel imports

Mar 28, 2018
After Trump’s tariff announcement, manufacturers saw raw materials prices rise.
Hannibal Industries is the largest manufacturer of steel pallet racks in the United States.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace

Here’s how the U.S. would decide which Chinese products to hit with tariffs

Mar 27, 2018
This week or next the Trump administration is expected to announce a list of Chinese exports it could slap with tariffs to punish China for what it sees as unfair trade practices. Trade talks between the U.S. and China are ongoing, and markets are certainly hoping that two biggest economies in the world might keep […]