According to the Wall Street Journal, January 4, trade data show that foreign manufacturers of products such as washing machines and solar panels are stepping up efforts to ship their products to the United States until the U.S. government decides whether to add to trade barriers.
Earlier, companies such as US home appliance giant Whirlpool Co. (WHR) and solar panel maker Suniva Inc. called on the Donald Trump administration to power a controversial trade law in recent months. Trump's broad discretion on tariffs and quotas will initially test Trump's U.S. priority trade policies and his commitment to helping U.S. manufacturers and workers.
Analysis by Panjiva, the research firm, of customs and the US Census Bureau showed that the number of domestic washing machines shipped to U.S. ports in November more than doubled from a year earlier, the month before the U.S. regulator reacted favorably to Whirlpool and South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Co.. And LG Electronics (LG ElectronicsCo.) Made a favorable move to Whirlpool's ruling last year, Samsung and LG in the United States washing machine retail market share of a total of 35%, and Whirlpool basically the same.
According to DavidMac Gregor, an analyst at Longbow Research, at this rate of import growth, the number of washing machines arriving in the United States may reach the remaining six-month inventory levels before any tariff measures come into effect.
Panjiva's trade data showed that U.S. imports of solar panels and related products also more than doubled in November from a year earlier, equivalent to 12,379 containers.
