International Trade

The premium buyers pay to have aluminum shipped to the U.S. Midwest touched a record high, surpassing the level reached six years ago when banks and trading houses famously joined in “merry-go-round deals” at warehouses to collect higher rents.

The Biden administration is weighing an appeal from progressive Democrats to accelerate global access to Covid-19 vaccines by supporting a waiver of intellectual-property protections, a move opposed by big drugmakers.

China’s appetite for the world’s corn is expected to hit a record this year -- and next season’s import haul will be the second largest -- as the Asian nation grapples with its own grain shortfall.