16 Years To The Day: Its an eerie anniversary. Category 4 Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana’s Gulf Coast on Sunday, exactly 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina did the same. The financial impact of this week’s massive storm is expected to be less severe than Katrina, thanks in part to a lower storm surge. Also credit New Orleans’ […]

Things Could Get Bumpy Again. . . . The August peak for trans-Pacific Ocean freight is now upon us, but transportation lanes never fully recovered from their pandemic-induced woes. That means longer wait times and higher prices may be in the future and spot rates are already at multiples of pandemic and pre-pandemic pricing. Floods in Germany and China exacerbated […]

What’s Bugging Washington? Brood X (pronounced “Brood 10”) has taken over your Nation’s Capital.  There are 15 broods of periodical cicadas in the United States, and this one is now in every corner of the city after 17 years of hibernation. Thinking of riding your motorcycle into DC for the July 4th celebration?  The FTZine staff recommends a full face […]

Infrastructure Takes Center Stage – After a bruising battle that scuttled the first version of a $2T infrastructure proposal, the Biden Administration pivoted directly to a new federal budget, keeping its focus firmly on the health of the U.S. economy.  With such attention to organizing federal spending to restart growth, little room is available for issues related to international commerce.  […]

Lots Of Trade Last Month. Trade Policy, Not So Much – New USTR Catherine Tai used her first official speech last month to discuss . . . climate change, and has just been assigned the task of reviewing intellectual property rules that restrict wider manufacture of vaccines developed in the United States.  That is a reflection of the lack of […]

DC Is Blooming – No Fooling; The Cherry Blossoms of Spring are always a welcome distraction in your Nation’s Capital.  Though access is highly restricted this year, early risers can still get a chance to enjoy this special rite that punctuates the end to winter.  News on the economy has also been warmer and folks have even started to talk […]

Trade Takes A Back Seat We understand there is still a pandemic going on.  Even so, with international trade likely a key part of the global economic recovery, it was disappointing to learn last month that trade did not make the short list of President Biden’s current priorities. That is not to say that nothing happened in the world of […]

Back To Business: It was QUITE the month in your nation’s capital, capped off with a frosty blanket of snow and ice.  Before that heavy precipitation made your Nation’s Capital look angelic, however, there was a storming of the Capitol, a contested electoral college confirmation, and a vote in the House that impeached a President of the United States for […]

A Late Start – A late start to the transition to a new administration in Washington has left the town abuzz wondering who will fill the top posts affecting trade.  This includes intrigue about who is in the running to be the next Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative.  Palace gossip in “The Crown” has nothing on […]