Afternoon Coffee: Trump Optimistic on China Trade Talks, Companies Gird for No-Deal Brexit

stevecuk/Adobe Stock

President Donald Trump on Friday said he has a positive outlook about China’s recent list of trade issues that it’s willing to discuss, and the stock market responded favorably to the possibility of less volatile policies between the two countries, Bloomberg News reports. “China wants to make a deal, they sent a list of things they are willing to do which is a large list and it is just not acceptable to me yet, but at some point I think that, we are doing extremely well with respect to China,” Trump said.

Planning for Hard Exit from UK

As UK Prime Minister Theresa May tries to steer a shaky Brexit deal through Parliament and save her administration, companies are having to plan for the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union without trade deals and provisions for logistics, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We didn’t have many no-deal queries ’til about a month and a half ago,” Allie Rennison, the head of EU and trade policy for a British group representing business leaders, tells the WSJ. The deadline for an exit isn’t until March 29, but inventories are being stockpiled, and one person who books rock bands is trying to prepare U.S. producers on how to deal with possible delays for getting gear into UK ports, the WSJ reports.

Supply Chain Security Task Force Grows

The tech supply chain task force set up by Homeland Security earlier this year is taking shape, TechCrunch reports. More than 20 businesses and industry groups have joined federal agencies like the Defense Department and the Justice Department on the ICT Supply Chain Task Force to examine risks to tech firms’ supply chains. Concerns include corporate spying, cybersecurity and government interference, TechCrunch reports.

Ports Packed with Imports

And finally, an update on imports: U.S. ports are popping at the seams as imports stream in ahead of tariff concerns, The Wall Street Journal reports. The volume from September to October showed double-digit growth and set monthly records, the WSJ says.