Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

commerce

Wall Street sign in lower Manhattan New York, USA
Apr 4, 2025

Global markets, Wall Street continue to slide after China slaps retaliatory tariffs on imports

Global markets slid further and Wall Street was on track for another day of crushing losses Friday after China responded to U.S. President Donald Trump‘s latest set of tariffs with some of their own. Futures for the S&P 500 fell 3.6% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 3.4%, falling […]

Apr 2, 2025

Trump is set to announce ‘reciprocal’ tariffs in a risky move that could reshape the economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — After weeks of White House hype and public anxiety, President Donald Trump is set on Wednesday to announce a barrage of self-described reciprocal tariffs on friend and foe alike. The new tariffs, coming on what Trump has called “Liberation Day,” are a bid to boost U.S. manufacturing and punish other countries for what he says are […]

Steve Rad, CEO of toy maker Abacus Brands Inc., which designs science kits and other educational toys for older children, shows a new improved matte box, left, that will replace its black mold plastic material packaging insert with an improved cardboard material to help offset the costs of future tariffs in El Segundo, Calif., on Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Apr 1, 2025

No batteries? Thinner packaging? US businesses look for ways to offset tariffs

NEW YORK (AP) — Gadgets sold without batteries. Toys sold in slimmed-down boxes or no packaging at all. More household goods that shoppers need to assemble themselves. These are some of the ways consumer product companies are retooling their wares to reduce costs and avoid raising prices as President Donald Trump levies new import taxes on key […]

President Donald Trump arrives at the annual St. Patrick's Day luncheon at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Mar 26, 2025

Trump places 25% tariffs on auto imports

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains. “This will continue to spur growth,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll effectively be charging a […]

Unifor auto workers stand behind Liberal Leader Mark Carney as he speaks during a campaign stop at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press via AP)
Mar 26, 2025

Canadian Prime Minister Carney says trade war is hurting Americans, noting consumer confidence

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump‘s trade war is hurting Americans, noting that American consumer confidence is at a multi-year low. Carney also said the kinship that exists between U.S. and Canada is under more strain than at any point in the two countries storied histories. “His trade war is hurting American consumers [&[...]

Mar 12, 2025

HII wins contract for Australian submarine supplier pilot program

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries has been awarded a contract from the Australian government to develop and run the new Australian Submarine Supplier Qualification (AUSSQ) pilot program that will build a submarine supply chain between the United States and Australia over the next two years, HII announced March 11. The contract’s initial value is about […]

Jul 30, 2024

Launch pads

In the 2000s, economic development leaders in Southern Virginia strategized a path for building back a regional economy decimated by lost textiles jobs. These visionaries, according to Linda Green, executive director for the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, decided to invest in industrial parks and other locations readied for manufacturing operations. “We have been very blessed […]

Jun 27, 2024

A practical plan for U.S. 220

Picture an hourglass: Flip the timer over, and the sand at the top funnels through a small opening to pool in the wider receptacle at its bottom. Now imagine if that hole in the middle were wider; sand would flow more freely. That’s how business leaders in Martinsville see the U.S. Route 220 corridor between […]

Feb 21, 2024

Biden executive order on Chinese cranes affects Port of Va.

President Joe Biden issued an executive order Wednesday addressing cybersecurity and espionage concerns over Chinese-made cranes in use at U.S. ports, including the Port of Virginia. Additionally, the Biden administration announced a plan to invest $20 billion on infrastructure security at U.S. ports, including support for domestic manufacturing of ship-to-shore cranes. National security concerns [...]

Gov. Glenn Youngkin meets with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Apr. 24, 2023. Photo courtesy Office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Sep 19, 2023

Va. trade office opens in Taiwan

Virginia has opened its trade office in Taiwan. Announced in April, the office is Virginia’s fourth international trade office and follows Youngkin’s meeting with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, during the governor’s first international trade mission. Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick was joined by Liang-yu Wang, director general of Taiwan’s Dep[...]

YOUR NEWS.
YOUR INBOX.
DAILY.

By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.