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Nancy Marshall Genser
inflation and imports From Marketplace, I'm Nancy Marshall Genser in Washington. First, President Trump is headed back to the US After a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump and other administration officials said China agreed to buy more American products, but the deals are light on specifics, Marketplace's Henry Epp reports.
Henry Epp
In a Fox News interview, President Trump said Beijing will buy oil from the US and said Chinese leaders agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets. Meanwhile, US Trade Representative Jameson Greer told Bloomberg that China committed to buying more American agricultural products. That includes 25 million tons of soybeans per year, an amount previously announced by the White House late last year. So far, though, Beijing has not confirmed specific new purchases of oil jets or American crops, according to multiple media reports. But in its official statement on the talks, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign affairs said economic and trade meetings this week, quote, produced generally balanced and positive outcomes. And it said China will open its door wider. I'm Henry Epp for Marketplace.
Nancy Marshall Genser
We got another read on prices yesterday. For more, let's turn to Gus Faucher. He's chief economist at the PNC Financial Services Group. Gus, yesterday we saw increases in the US Import and export port price indexes. How much of that increase was caused by the war in the Middle East?
Gus Faucher
Well, about one half of it was, but we saw an almost 2% increase in import prices. But even taking out petroleum, we saw Import prices increase about 7.10of a percent on the month. That's an indication that the price pressures we're seeing in the economy are not coming only from oil, but also from other goods that are having difficulties in transmitting through the Strait of Hormuz, but just general inflation. Throughout the US and global economies, inflation
Nancy Marshall Genser
fears are getting bond traders attention. Bond yields are up. What's going on there?
Gus Faucher
It's a couple of factors. Some of it is expectations that the Fed might hike higher inflation that we're seeing in the US Economy and concern that could spread over the longer run. But also I think a lot of it is coming from large federal government budget deficits. There's no indication that anyone in Washington has any intention of deficit reduction. And so if the federal government is out there borrowing trillions of dollars every year, that's putting upward pressure on borrowing costs as well. So all of this is contributing to these higher long term interest rates that we're seeing in the economy.
Nancy Marshall Genser
Gus Faucher, chief economist at the PNC Financial Services Group. Thank you so much.
Gus Faucher
Thank you. Nanc.
Nancy Marshall Genser
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Nancy Marshall Genser
US natural gas exports are expected to grow 30% over the next year and a half. That growth is driven mostly by new and expanding LNG export projects along the Gulf coast in places like Corpus Christi. At a time when roughly 20% of the world's natural gas supply has been taken offline because of the war in the Middle East. Marketplace's Elizabeth TR Oval has more.
Elizabeth Trovall
I want to take you back to the day before the US bombed Iran. February 27th. At the port of Corpus Christi, President Trump stands in front of a crude oil tanker and blue signs that say American Energy Dominance.
Various Energy Experts
Slashing energy costs is among the most important actions we can take to bring down prices for American consumers.
Elizabeth Trovall
But on that late February day before global oil and gas prices soared, he also boasted about liquefied natural gas exports increasing so much.
Various Energy Experts
They're at the highest level in American history and going up a lot.
Elizabeth Trovall
That's true. And Corpus Christi is one of the hubs on the Gulf coast where LNG exports are growing. I went down to the port of Corpus Christi a few weeks ago where CEO Kent Britton told me business is booming.
Gus Faucher
LNG shipments this year are actually up about 40% over the same period last year.
Elizabeth Trovall
That's as more natural gas is piped down from West Texas and New Mexico.
Gus Faucher
There is a lot more gas to be discovered easily in the Permian than than oil. LNG is the growth story of the next decade.
Elizabeth Trovall
Ross Wayneau with S and P Global Energy says the US is now exporting roughly 20 billion cubic feet per day
Various Energy Experts
of LNG, up from basically zero a little over 10 years ago. So it's been a massive increase. The US is now the largest supplier of LNG in the world, with plans to grow significantly more over the next 10 years.
Elizabeth Trovall
Wayno says a lot of that LNG is sold to utilities in Asia and that business boosts local coastal economy. Says Jesse Thompson, an economist with the Dallas Fed.
Various Energy Experts
We had a huge amount of investment in the Gulf coast economy in terms of just the equipment and manpower and construction and then the plants themselves. Much smaller footprint in terms of total labor, but they are very high wage jobs.
Elizabeth Trovall
The question now is, will this war bring even more investment?
Various Energy Experts
Ross Bueno Again, these buyers may be interested in finding a more secure source of supply that could encourage them to sign up for a contract potentially in the us But I will note that the US is also facing concentration risk.
Elizabeth Trovall
Having so much LNG come out of the Middle east has proven to be risky. The US has its own risk. Think hurricanes and politics. So LNG buyers may choose other sellers like Canada or Algeria, or move away from natural gas altogether.
Various Energy Experts
High LNG prices, the risk of this large portion of global supply getting cut off, and just price volatility in general are not good for demand creation.
Elizabeth Trovall
If the countries getting hit hard by today's energy crisis decide to use less natural gas than they planned, that could ultimately hurt the new US LNG plants in coastal communities like Corpus Christi. I'm Elizabeth Trovall for Marketplace.
Nancy Marshall Genser
Marketplace exists to help you stay informed about the economy. You can put that knowledge to the test. Every Friday we publish a news quiz online. Find it on our website, marketplace.orgquiz in Washington, I'm Nancy Marshall Genser with the Marketplace morning report. From apm, American Public Media.
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Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder. At least half of us will experience a mental illness in our lifetime. In a new series of special reports from Call to Mind, we hear about the mental health impact of stress, climate change, immigration and more. Tune in for conversations with people managing hardship and experts seeking solutions. Listen to Call to Mind from American Public Media.
Date: May 15, 2026
Host: Nancy Marshall Genser
Main Theme:
This episode explores the significant rise in U.S. natural gas exports—driven by new and expanding LNG projects along the Gulf Coast—and situates this surge within the broader context of Middle East conflict, global energy prices, and shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics. The show also updates listeners on U.S.-China trade talks, inflation pressures, and bond market reactions.
[00:59–02:05]
[02:05–03:37]
[04:54–08:01]
This episode succinctly tracks the mounting global and domestic economic pressures from trade deals with China and Middle East war-induced energy shortages, then spotlights the American LNG export boom as both a major business opportunity and a source of new economic risks. Listeners come away with a clear, current snapshot of how global conflict and investment are re-shaping U.S. energy and financial markets.