Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 15 November.

Trump to bring limited tariffs; higher growth, rates – economists
Under US President Donald Trump, US chemical companies will unlikely see the full-blown tariffs that he has proposed during his campaign, but they will operate under a faster growing economy with higher inflation and interest rates that will settle at an elevated rate, economists at Oxford Economics said on Monday.

INSIGHT: Mexico’s manufacturers hopeful USMCA renegotiation could spare them from tariffs
Policymakers and companies in Mexico are coming to terms with a potential shift in trade policies in the US after Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election last week.

Canada ports prepare to resume operations, but timeline still unclear
The Port of Vancouver and other Canadian West Coast ports as well as the Port of Montreal were preparing on Wednesday to resume operations, but the exact timeline remains unclear, officials said in updates.

US exporters should book cargoes 4-6 weeks in advance; ILA-USMX talks break down
US exporters are being urged to book outgoing shipments four to six weeks in advance as US and Canadian port labor issues are ongoing and could coincide with the pre-Lunar New Year peak season on the Asia-to-US trade route.

Brazil to investigate alleged US, Canada PE dumping
Brazil is to start an investigation into polyethylene (PE) arriving on its shores from the US and Canada and whether the material constituted dumping, the government said.

Canada Port of Montreal to resume operations on Saturday
The Port of Montreal will resume operations on Saturday, 16 November, at 07:00 local time, following labor disruptions that started on 31 October and a subsequent lockout of about 1,200 dock workers.