[135] MTSU trade report: Tenn. exporters have ‘uninspiring’ second quarter of 2018

Notable drops in auto, computer shipments to Canada

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Tennessee’s exporters had a somewhat ho-hum second quarter, according to the latest “Global Commerce” report from MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center.

“The state turned in a solid, but uninspiring, export performance for the second quarter of this year,” said Steven Livingston, BERC associate director and a professor of political science and international relations at MTSU.

“The value of Tennessee’s exports reached $8.5 billion, a 1 percent gain over 2017. This was significantly behind the nation’s 11 percent gain.”

Livingston noted that “significant declines” in Tennessee’s shipments to Canada of automobiles and of computers were the major reason for this relatively modest performance.

The state’s exports to most other regions was much stronger than north of the border. East Asia and the Gulf states were two particularly good markets for Tennessee’s exporters for the quarter.

To read the full report, go to http://capone.mtsu.edu/berc/globalcommerce.htmland click on the link for “Quarterly Trade Report – 2^NDQuarter 2018.”

For more information, contact Livingston at 615-898-2720 or email steven.livingston.mtsu.edu