IN THE NEWS: Freight Orders Surge On Trump Tariffs Trade Whipsaw - ‘The Ships Are Filling Up’

CNBC
April 10, 2025
Lori Ann LaRocco

FROM THE ARTICLE: President Donald Trump’s decision to pause tariffs on trading partners around the globe may have eased some of the market’s worst fears, but the big swings in stocks and bonds that have continued in the markets match a pervasive feeling of uncertainty inside the supply chain amid whipsaw conditions in global trade.

At least for now, though, some orders around the world that were paused are surging.

The tariffs with China, the biggest trading partner of the US, remain in effect and are now at 145%. But across other Asian and European nations that are key manufacturing partners, the fluid situation is leading importers to rethink decisions that were the correct one just a day ago.

“We started seeing a ton of bookings cancel at origin over the ocean as early as last week, and as we got closer to the tariff date on April 9, we saw more cancellations,” said Paul Brashier, Vice President of Global Supply Chain for ITS Logistics. “But with this recent announcement on the pause on tariffs with the exception of China, we may have orders re-booked from those regions.”

The European Union said it will pause the adoption of its retaliatory tariffs on a swathe of US goods for 90 days, a day after Trump’s decision.

Uncertainty remains high in a world where trade decisions hinge on the micromanagement of daily headlines. Shipping executives remain on edge, with Mexico a good example. There was no change in the tariffs policy partially in effect on Mexico and Canada.

“It’s status quo right now and the new normal for the supply chain is uncertainty,” Brashier said.

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