News Briefs

Jon Emont of The Wall Street Journal writes that a global acceleration of economic growth has proved to be a boon for international trade flows, though there are reasons to be cautious about the outlook for coming years. Emont warns that protectionist rhetoric, rising debt levels, and demographic shifts may make it difficult for trade to accelerate further in the future. WSJ

The Wall Street Journal reports that despite expectations that used vehicle prices would plummet in 2017, there has been no large-scale price collapse. Used vehicle prices have proven resilient due to improving residual value of used cars and increased demand as a result of the destruction of hundreds of thousands of vehicles in recent hurricanes. WSJ

According to The Wall Street Journal, eleven Pacific-Rim nations say that they have made significant progress in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership despite the U.S.’ withdrawal. Trade experts reportedly see income gains totaling up to $150 billion annually for the remaining members of the pact, who say that they will leave the door open for the U.S. to re-enter at a later date. WSJ