Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland will visit Washington this week in another bid to help unblock talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement, a spokesman said on Monday. Freeland will be in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, said spokesman Adam Austen. The U.S., Mexico and Canada are struggling to […] Read more

Freeland to visit Washington this week for NAFTA talks

Canada says NAFTA officials in constant contact on trade talks
Ottawa | Reuters — Top U.S., Canadian and Mexican officials are in constant contact about slow-moving talks to revitalize NAFTA and are ready to meet at any time to push the process forwards, Canada’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. Negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement have stalled as Canada and Mexico try […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle drop on weak cash prices, big supplies
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures slumped for the fourth time in five sessions on Friday as falling cash cattle prices and ample supplies of slaughter-ready animals weighed on the market, traders said. The possibility that meat exports could slow due to trade tensions with China and uncertainty about a deal […] Read more

NAFTA nations ‘nowhere near’ a deal, USTR says
Washington/New York | Reuters — The top U.S. trade official on Thursday poured cold water on the prospect of an imminent breakthrough in talks to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) hours after Canada’s prime minister struck a positive note. “The NAFTA countries are nowhere near close to a deal,” U.S. Trade Representative […] Read more

U.S. pushing for NAFTA deal ahead of Thursday deadline
Washington | Reuters — The United States is still pushing for a deal to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the White House said on Wednesday, while a top Mexican official held out the possibility of an agreement in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump is committed to getting a better agreement with […] Read more

NAFTA ‘hot topics’ said unresolved as deal deadline looms
Washington | Reuters — U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday that none of the contentious issues in a new NAFTA trade deal appear to have been resolved, diminishing chances of meeting a Thursday deadline to notify U.S. lawmakers of an agreement. If the notification is not sent by Thursday, U.S. House Speaker Paul […] Read more

Negotiators fail to reach NAFTA deal
Washington | Reuters — Senior U.S., Canadian and Mexican officials on Friday ended a week of talks without a deal to modernize NAFTA, agreeing instead to resume negotiations soon, ahead of a deadline next week issued by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. The failure to secure a quick deal underscores uncertainty over the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs slump amid fund roll, NAFTA worries
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures finished lower on Friday, hit by the “roll” by funds into deferred months and uneasiness over North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks, said traders. “NAFTA fears, Goldman roll and premiums to the cash prices. Everyone who bought futures this week decided to dump them […] Read more

Ryan sets May 17 deadline for NAFTA deal
Washington | Reuters — U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has set a May 17 deadline to be notified of a new NAFTA trade deal to give the current Congress a chance of passing it, while Mexico’s top trade official on Thursday said time was running short to meet such a deadline. Ryan, who controls legislation […] Read more

NAFTA talks drag on as U.S., Mexico spar over autos
Washington | Reuters — Top-level talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement made little headway on Wednesday as the U.S. and Mexico sought to settle differences over the key issue of automobiles, three well-placed sources said. With time fast running out to reach a deal, the two NAFTA members are discussing a U.S. […] Read more