The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has expressed support for the U.S. administration's recent efforts to address trade challenges with the European Union, particularly regarding non-tariff barriers affecting the paper and forest products industry. In a statement released following U.S.-EU trade negotiations, AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock welcomed the administration’s commitment to fostering fair and reciprocal trade. She emphasized the importance of tackling both tariff and non-tariff obstacles to safeguard U.S. exports. One of the AF&PA’s key concerns is the European Union’s Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR), which the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has classified as a non-tariff trade barrier. According to the association, the regulation could put at risk more than $3.5 billion in annual exports of U.S. forest products to the EU.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is "coordinating with partners across the supply chain to prepare for any impacts" from a possible work stoppage by workers represented by the International Longshoremen's Association as they negotiate with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), a Port Authority spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday. "We urge both sides to find common ground and keep the cargo flowing for the good of the national economy," added the spokesperson, noting that $240 billion in goods move through the two ports each year and that such trade supports more than 600,000 local jobs. According to the union, a strike would affect ports from Maine to Texas. A stoppage could involve up to 45,000 workers at ports that account for roughly 60% of U.S. shipping traffic, leading to a major disruption of shipments, Oxford Economics said in a report.

Oil rose further above $68 a barrel briefly on Tuesday, touching its highest since May 2015, supported by OPEC-led production cuts and expectations U.S. crude inventories fell for an eighth week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia are keeping supply limits in place in 2018, a second year of restraint, to reduce a price-denting glut of oil held in inventories. OPEC is cutting output by even more than it promised [OPEC/O] and the restraint is reducing oil stocks globally, a trend most visible in the United States, the world's largest and most transparent oil market. Click Read More below for additional information.