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UPDATE: White House Delays Beef-Tariff Cut; China EV Exports Rise; Panama Canal Traffic Surges

By Mark R. Long | WSJ Logistics Report

 

A feedlot in Roque Perez, Argentina. RODRIGO ABD/AP

The Trump administration said it would delay a plan to address high beef prices, which would have suspended tariffs on imported beef, the WSJ’s Patrick Thomas, Gavin Bade and Lindsay Wise report.

President Trump had planned to sign a pair of executive orders to lower tariffs on beef and reduce regulations on American cattle producers. On Monday evening a White House official said the actions had been delayed as the administration finalizes details.

The delay followed outcry from some congressional Republicans and cattle ranchers, typically a solid part of Trump’s base. The Journal earlier Monday reported Trump’s plans to sign the orders. The White House official didn’t specify when the administration may move forward with the actions.

  • Fertilizer and mining company Mosaic said it would curtail some production, cut capital spending and reassess operating plans as prices surge for key ingredients such as sulfur, ammonia and urea. (WSJ)
 
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Global Trade

China exported more electric vehicles and plug-in vehicles than gasoline or diesel cars for the first time in April, as automakers expanded aggressively overseas to offset subdued demand in the domestic market, the Journal’s Jia Huang writes.

China exported 769,000 automobiles in April, with new-energy vehicles such as EVs and plug-in hybrids, accounting for 52.7% of total exports, the China Passenger Car Association said Monday. Exports of new-energy vehicles more than doubled to 406,000 units in April from a year earlier, the data showed.

The surging exports came as the domestic market continued to face pressure from falling Chinese consumer confidence and a bleak job market. Leader Xi Jinping has prioritized national security over the economy in service of a “national rejuvenation” grounded in military might and industrial strength.

This strategy will likely be on full display when Trump travels this week to Beijing, the Journal’s Brian Spegele writes. But these policies aren’t generating enough jobs or investment to keep overall economic growth from slowing.

  • China’s factory-gate inflation climbed 2.8% in April from a year earlier, ending a 41-month deflationary cycle. (WSJ)
  • Elon Musk, outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook and Blackrock’s Larry Fink are among more than a dozen top U.S. business leaders set to accompany Trump to China this week. (WSJ)
 

“Right now, everyone is scared that next year there will be no more money left to earn.”

— Yang Guolü, a hiring agent for local factories in Foshan, China
 
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Ocean Shipping

An LNG tanker transits the Panama Canal. ENEA LEBRUN/REUTERS

The blockage in the Strait of Hormuz is boosting Panama Canal ship crossings and transit fees to multiyear highs, the WSJ’s Costas Paris writes, as Asian buyers book oil cargoes from the Americas to replace lost barrels from the Middle East.

The Panama Canal Authority said there was an average of 39 daily transits in April, the largest such tally in more than three years. There were 313 tanker transits through the panamax locks, 14% more than the previous month and 50% more than the monthly average before the start of the war.

Twelve LNG gas-carriers crossed the Central American waterway in April, the highest number in three years, driven by demand from importers in Japan and Korea. Crossing fees averaged $380,000 a ship in April, almost six times higher than before the start of the war.

  • Saudi Aramco’s CEO said the global oil market could lose 100 million barrels of supply weekly if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. (WSJ)
  • The Navy announced the new battleship named after President Trump will be nuclear-powered, increasing its cost and complexity. (WSJ)
  • China detained 136 Panamanian-flagged vessels last month, over six times as many as last year’s average, amid a lingering dispute over Panama Canal terminal operations. (ShippingWatch)
 

Number of the Day

24.4 cents

Amount of federal tax included in a gallon of diesel, which currently costs $5.636 on average in the U.S., according to AAA. Trump said he supports pausing the gas tax. (WSJ)

 

In Other News

  • Home sales were flat in April, dealing a blow to a housing industry that was counting on a strong spring season to emerge from an extended slump. (WSJ)
  • The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index rose to 105.77 in April, reflecting a relatively healthy U.S. labor market. (WSJ)
  • SoftBank Group launched a battery business through its telecommunications arm to meet surging electricity demand from AI. (WSJ)
  • Dream Finders Homes publicly submitted a bid to acquire Beazer Homes USA for about $704 million. (WSJ)
  • Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom will develop a drone defense shield for critical infrastructure in Germany. (WSJ)
  • Prosus agreed to sell around 5% of its Delivery Hero stake to Aspex Management for around $394.9 million. (WSJ)
  • Japan’s Ocean Network Express, known as ONE, signed a $1.2 billion order for six dual-fuel LNG containerships from South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. (Journal of Commerce)
  • SEG Solar plans to spend $200 million on a new Houston manufacturing facility. (SupplyChain24/7)
  • FedEx and United Parcel Service have increased international fuel surcharges and added new shipping fees this month. (SupplyChainDive)
  • FedEx returned two MD-11Fs to service, after the freighter aircraft were grounded following the fatal UPS crash in November. (Air Cargo News)
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers canceled its contract with Shimmick Construction at the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project, in a setback to the delayed Tennessee River navigation upgrade. (WorkBoat)
 

About Us

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.

 
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