Topics

Tariffs

27 briefings, newest first.

  1. Freight Inflation Just Became the Macro Story

    Diesel sets an all-time record near $5.97, truckload spot rates rise across every equipment type, holiday parcel surcharges jump about 25%, and a Fed rate hike looks likely.

  2. The Constraint Moved Off the Balance Sheet and Onto the Map

    Drought throttles the Panama Canal, a typhoon strands 139 ships off Shanghai, a trucking enforcement purge tightens capacity, and a new tariff wall goes up with Canada.

  3. The Inversion Flipped: Transpacific Rates Surge as Truckload Cools

    Ocean rates climb to $4,526 per box with Shanghai–New York up 9%, while truckload spot rates roll over and flatbed posts its steepest drop since 2008.

  4. Section 301 Replaces Section 122 Without a Gap

    Section 122's 10% surcharge expires and new Section 301 duties take effect the same minute, while diesel jumps on Hormuz and the Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger clears another hurdle.

  5. Peak Season Kicks the Door Down

    Ocean spot rates jump 20–31% in a week, factory activity hits a four-year high, and truckload spot runs its hottest since 2022 as consumer confidence slips.

  6. A Supreme Court Ruling Upends Freight Brokerage

    The Supreme Court's 9-0 Montgomery ruling strips brokers of a key liability defense, the STB accepts the Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern application, and Beijing's trade deals stay on paper.

  7. Rates Up, Carriers Down: A Week of Opposite Signals

    Container rates hit a 2026 high while Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM post losses, the Trump–Xi summit yields a 200-plane Boeing order, and consumer sentiment sets another record low.

  8. Tariff Pass-Through Finally Shows Up in the Data

    April PPI jumps 1.4%, nearly triple forecasts, as wholesalers pass tariffs through, and the Federal Circuit pauses the ruling that struck down the Section 122 tariff.

  9. Court Strikes Down Section 122 as Consumer Sentiment Hits an All-Time Low

    The Court of International Trade invalidates the 10% Section 122 tariff, surcharges lift container rates 3%, and consumer sentiment falls to 48.2, the lowest since 1952.

  10. Ocean Rates Soften Through a War as Truckload Hits 12-Year Highs

    Q1 GDP misses at +2.0% with hot inflation, the CAPE refund portal posts its first data, Union Pacific refiles its $85 billion merger, and truckload spot rates hit a 12-year high.

  11. Iran Seizes MSC Francesca and Turns Hormuz Into a Trade Weapon

    Iran captures an 11,660-TEU container ship in the war's first containership seizure, turning what carriers treated as an energy disruption into a shipping-lane closure.

  12. Blockade Breaks the Ocean Rate Rally as Consumer Sentiment Hits a Record Low

    A U.S. Navy blockade knocks ocean rates off a six-week peak, consumer sentiment falls to a record low, diesel posts its first decline in 12 weeks, and MODEX puts physical AI into production.

  13. A Fragile U.S.–Iran Ceasefire Moved Markets, Not the Disruption

    Oil drops $20 and stocks surge on the ceasefire, but Hormuz stays largely blocked, Section 232 metals tariffs take effect, and diesel climbs to $5.64.

  14. The Tariff Playbook: What the Rules Actually Say and How Smart Companies Are Beating Them

    A practical guide to how U.S. tariffs work — classification, valuation and country of origin — and the legitimate strategies companies use to reduce what they pay.

  15. The Hormuz Blockade Reshapes Every Freight Mode at Once

    Diesel hits $5.38 as the Hormuz crisis enters its fourth week, container rates rise for a third straight week, the Fed raises its inflation outlook, and Amazon overtakes USPS in parcels.

  16. The SCOTUS Tariff Earthquake Reshapes Trade Policy Overnight

    A 10% Section 122 surcharge replaces the struck-down tariffs, ocean rates slide for a seventh week, and Apple announces its first U.S.-built Mac.

  17. The Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs — and Opens a $175B Question

    The Supreme Court strikes down IEEPA tariffs and puts $175 billion in refunds in play, Walmart's e-commerce turns profitable, and new CDL rules tighten trucking.

  18. Supply Chain's Most Volatile Week of 2026

    The House votes against Canada tariffs, ocean rates fall as Suez reopens, an AI freight tool knocks logistics stocks, and DP World's leadership collapses.

  19. Ocean Freight: The Great Unraveling

    Ocean rates keep falling, Maersk posts a fourth-quarter loss, a return to the Red Sea threatens more overcapacity, and port volumes drop as front-loading runs out.

  20. Ocean Freight Collapse Exposes Structural Weakness

    Container rates fall 10% in a week as Lunar New Year exposes overcapacity, Micron breaks ground on a $100 billion fab, and semiconductor tariffs advance.

  21. Maritime Markets: Opportunistic Rate Push Tests Weak Demand

    Carriers test a rate increase against weak demand, the U.S.–China truce holds ahead of an April reset, and chip capacity limits constrain AI expansion.

  22. Trucking Market Inflects Upward as Capacity Tightens

    Truck rates turn up as capacity tightens, a wave of tariff changes takes effect January 1, and retailers brace for record holiday returns.

  23. Tariff Relief Gets Surgical—Not Sweeping

    Tariff relief arrives product by product rather than across the board, ocean rates split by trade lane, and agentic AI moves from buzz to backbone.

  24. Tariff Paradox Week: China Retaliation Meets Record Investment

    China's rare earth controls trigger a threatened 100% U.S. tariff, container rates hit two-year lows, and factory investment keeps setting records despite a contracting PMI.

  25. Product-Specific Tariffs Force Procurement Decisions Now

    Sweeping new product tariffs create procurement urgency, while the Supreme Court's November 5 hearing puts $750 billion in collected duties in question.

  26. Supreme Court Sets a November Showdown Over $1 Trillion in Tariffs

    The Supreme Court schedules its tariff hearing, a container accident exposes port weak points, and cyberattacks hit critical supply chain software.

  27. Walmart's Strategic Diversification Accelerates

    Walmart widens its sourcing and operations bets, AI moves into day-to-day operations at global scale, and retailers rethink inventory under tariff pressure.