A year and a half ago, a consultant approached executives at Energy Fuels, a uranium producer in southeast Utah, with an intriguing possibility. Energy Fuels could use its uranium technology and permits to enter the business of rare earths––a crucial component in nearly every electronic device manufactured today.
The U.S. economy added just 266,000 jobs in April––far short of the expected gain of one million or more––casting doubt on the prospect of a swift recovery and raising concerns about possible labor shortages.
The United States Bureau of Economic Analysis will release March’s international trade report on Tuesday. Economists expect both imports and exports to lift and the trade deficit to widen to a record high as the U.S. economic recovery fires on all cylinders.
These disruptions have brought supply chains of critical industries to the fore, revealing deep dependencies on China and its neighbors. The shortage has prompted a bipartisan push to restore semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, which has atrophied since the 1990s. While supply chains were moved overseas to cut costs, many companies are reevaluating potential tradeoffs in security. In light of the pandemic, government and private sector reassessments may usher in a retreat from globalization and a new era of “localization.”
Extreme weather events and supply chain congestion restrain strong demand By Jo Constantz Both exports and imports fell in February for the first time since May, reflecting the impact of severe snowstorms on shipping throughout much of the country and a global semiconductor shortage stalling automakers and other manufacturers. However, […]
The U.S. trade deficit widened in January as demand rose for imported consumer goods, a promising sign of economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.