Flexport is joining with asset-management giant BlackRock to double its supply-chain financing pool to $250 million as tariffs raise costs for U.S. retailers and manufacturers.

The WSJ Logistics Report writes that the funding will allow the freight middleman’s financing arm, Flexport Capital, to provide funds for importers that are running low on working capital.

U.S. importers are confronting ballooning tariff bills after the Trump administration imposed steep levies on key trading partners such as China and the European Union as well as on commodities such as steel and aluminum. Most companies have a window of just 45 days to pay tariff bills after products arrive in the U.S. with some of the duties stacking on top of each other.

Freight specialists say rising costs aren’t confined to the levies themselves. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is raising costs and collateral requirements for surety bonds, a form of customs insurance that covers duties. E-commerce companies face new bills as the U.S. ends the de minimis duty exemption on shipments valued at $800 or less.

Cindy Allen, chief executive of consulting firm Trade Force Multiplier, said the spiraling costs limit how much capital importers have left to invest in their company.

Indian exporters and the hundreds of thousands of workers they employ are bracing for the worst after the U.S. raised to 50% a tariff that strikes across sectors from apparel to farming.

The WSJ’s Tripti Lahiri reports that Indian business leaders expected warm U.S. ties after President Trump took office. Instead, the U.S. yesterday imposed levies that India-based consulting firm Global Trade Research Initiative says apply to about two-thirds of the roughly $90 billion in goods India exports to the U.S.

The levies are made up of a 25% “reciprocal tariff” the U.S. imposed on India after the two countries failed to reach a trade deal earlier this month as well as an extra 25% tariff to penalize India’s huge Russian oil purchases.

A trade slowdown will be felt across India’s most labor-intensive industries, imperiling employment for apparel makers, shrimp farmers and carpet weavers. India says trade negotiations with the U.S. are continuing.

• Abercrombie & Fitch raised its outlook for the year, despite expecting $90 million in tariff costs. (WSJ)
• J.M. Smucker said it will keep raising coffee prices to help offset rising costs from tariffs. (WSJ)
• Williams-Sonoma is raising prices on some products amid threats from President Trump to increase tariffs on furniture imports. (WSJ)
• Africa has become a new hotspot for Chinese exports as U.S. tariffs redraw world trade. (Bloomberg)

He was the only member of the board to oppose the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, a tie-up was approved by the regulator in 2023. At the time, Primus said the deal wasn’t in the public interest.

Primus says he plans to challenge the termination.

Nvidia set fresh sales records, driven by strong demand for AI computing power and despite uncertainty surrounding its business in China. (WSJ)

Rio Tinto’s new chief executive is simplifying the company’s structure and shrinking the giant miner’s leadership ranks. (WSJ)

Lego Group posted record sales for the first half of the year. (WSJ)

China’s chipmakers are seeking to triple the country’s output of artificial intelligence processors next year. (Financial Times)

Hanwha Group plans to invest $5 billion in Hanwha Philly Shipyard. (Fox29 Philadelphia)

Spending on data center construction this year is expected to exceed investment in traditional office buildings. (New York Times)

The International Longshoremen’s Association is suing the Virginia Port Authority over the use of new rail crane technology. (Journal of Commerce)

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at mark.long@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long, Liz Young and Paul Berger.