This year's report also includes profiles of the U.S. industry and market for nearly 300 industry and commodity groups, providing data for 1993-97 on domestic consumption, production, employment, trade, and import penetration.

The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, publishes Shifts in Merchandise Trade annually, along with a separate companion report, Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade. This year's report also reviews:

• bilateral shifts in trade with the ten U.S. trading partners which registered the largest changes in trade during 1996-97;

• important multilateral trade issues, including the potential impact of the Asian financial crisis on U.S.-Asian trade, the factors affecting U.S. trade with the Mercosur bloc, and increasing U.S. trade with Sub-Saharan African countries;

• a discussion of factors affecting U.S. trade in beef, flat glass, carbon steel plate, and drill pipe, as well as updates of previously published articles on fresh-market tomatoes, automobiles and automobile parts, and textiles and apparel; and,

• a ranking of the industry and commodity groups that experienced the most significant shifts in trade during the past year as well as a discussion of the reasons for the largest shifts in trade at the sector and commodity levels.

Shifts in Merchandise Trade in 1997 (Inv. No. 332-345, USITC Publication 3120, July 1998) will be available for downloading from the ITC's Internet server at www.usitc.gov. It will also be available at regional federal depository libraries in the United States. A printed copy may be requested by calling 202-205-1809 or by writing to the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202-205-2104.