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Supply Chain by the Numbers

August 15, 2025

Supply Chain by the Numbers for August 15, 2025

Another China Tariff Truce. Panama Canal Opening Ports. Target Employees are Not Happy. Amazon to Blow Out Same Day Delivery


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That is the number of months by which President Trump extended a trade truce between the United States and China on Monday, continuing a reprieve from the threat of escalating tariffs and export controls, which rocked the global economy earlier this year. The extension, until Nov. 10, gives the countries more time to work out their differences and sets the stage for a potential summit between Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, later this year. Trump suggested on Monday that there had been progress in the negotiations. The deadline for the truce to expire was Tuesday. In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce said that beginning on Tuesday it would pause some measures it had taken, including certain restrictions on exports to the United States.

2300

That is the number of US cities that Amazon says will enjoy same-day grocery delivery by the end of the year, more than doubling the current number and marking its latest attempt to muscle into the $1 trillion grocery industry led by its top retail competitor Walmart. Customers will be able to order perishable items such as produce, dairy, meat, seafood and baked goods, alongside frozen foods and household items, the company said in a statement Aug. 13. Same-day grocery delivery is free for Amazon Prime subscribers on orders over $25 in most cities, it said. For non-members, the service carries a $12.99 fee, regardless of order size



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That is how many ports – one on the Atlantic coast and another on the Pacific - the Panama Canal Authority is planning to operate amid a high-profile clash between the US and China over the waterway. The two terminals would be owned by the canal and likely operated by a third party, Ricaurte Vasquez, head of the authority, said Aug. 11 in New York. “We are coming into the game of port terminals,” Vasquez said. Panama’s ports have drawn intense scrutiny from Washington in recent months. President Donald Trump has criticized Chinese influence over the canal, threatening to take back the waterway and falsely alleging that Beijing controls it. The canal authority’s plan to own ports is part of $8.5 billion in capital spending it’s proposing over the next seven years, including a new water reservoir and roads and highways. The decision comes as Panama President Jose Raul Mulino said his administration will draft a national maritime logistics strategy to determine a new framework for port operations in Panama



50%
That is the percent of Target employees that said in June that they have confidence the company is taking the actions needed to compete effectively. That according to a report by the Wall Street Journal this week. The struggling retailer, once a Wall Street darling, has seen 10 straight quarters of flat or falling sales. The Journal report also said that worker sentiment is even lower at Target’s Minneapolis headquarters. The Journal says Target has been hit in part by perceptions that other retailers have lower prices in a period of overall inflation. A new CEO is coming soon.

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