China Grants New Tariff Exemptions for US Goods Before 2020

China recently revealed a new set of tariff exemptions, following the announcement of agreement on the terms of a historic phase-one trade deal. In the past several quarters, the United States and China levied tariffs on each other’s goods, which resulted in a slowdown in global economy. As expected, this significantly affected the stock market.

Taking Foot Off the Pedal

After 17 months, trade tensions between Washington and Beijing are slowly easing, giving ample boost to the stock market. As part of the phase-one agreement, China didn’t proceed with the plan of imposing retaliatory tariffs of 25% on American autos. Also, the world’s second-biggest economy is expected to increase imports of American goods (agricultural, energy, manufacturing and others) by at least $200 billion over the next two years. The recent set of tariff exemptions include six U.S. chemical and oil products. This is expected to work as a goodwill gesture before the deal is signed.

Fresh Exemptions

The new exemptions have a lifespan of one year and are expected to come into effect on Dec 26. Notably, the tariffs that have already been levied are not likely to be refunded. The latest waiver incorporates products such as metallocene high-density polyethylene and linear low-density polyethylene. Moreover, several refined oil products that include white oil and food-grade petroleum wax are included in the list. White oil is primarily used in medicinal and pharmaceutical operations. Also, it has application in cosmetics, plastic and food industries.

The exemption on chemical products will help several U.S. companies with downstream operations. As such, Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM, Dow Chemical and other companies are expected to benefit from refined product exports. Phillips 66 PSX and Chevron Corporation’s CVX 50-50 venture, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, is also likely to prove beneficial. China, having a huge market of refined products, can cause a change in the direction of trade flows. Supply from the United States, which was diverted to Europe and South America due to the trade war, will now likely resume its previous course.

Hydrocarbons Still on the Sidelines

Products like crude oil and natural gas are not yet included in the list of exemptions. China imposed a 5% tariff on oil shipments in September 2019, with an existing 25% tariff on liquified natural gas levied in 2018. This disrupted several contract opportunities for U.S. LNG exporters. However, Cheniere Energy, Inc. LNG and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation SNP or Sinopec made a 20-year deal to supply 2 million tons per annum of LNG to China from 2023.

Opportunities in 2020

While investors are waiting for the deal to be signed within the first week of January 2020, the market is optimistic about the second phase that might include data localization, digital trade, cyber intrusions and cross-border dataflow.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top tickers for the entirety of 2020?

These 10 are painstakingly hand-picked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks to buy and hold.

Start Your Access to the New Zacks Top 10 Stocks >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SNP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Phillips 66 (PSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research