Shifts in U.S. Merchandise Trade in 1999, released today by the United States International Trade Commission (ITC), reviews U.S. trade performance in 1999, focusing on changes in U.S. exports, imports, and trade balances of key natural resource, agricultural, and manufacturing industries, as well as examining changes in U.S. bilateral/multilateral trade with major trade partners.

This year's report also includes profiles of the U.S. industry and market for about 250 industry and commodity groups, providing data for 1995-99 on domestic consumption, production, employment, trade, and import penetration.

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

• noteworthy bilateral shifts in trade during 1998-99 with the top five U.S. trade partners (in terms of total trade) -- Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, and Mexico;

• the progress during 1999 in overcoming the financial crises affecting East/Southeast Asia, Russia, and Brazil and the implications for U.S. trade;

• factors affecting U.S. trade in flat glass, automobiles and automobile parts, and textiles and apparel, which are subject to ongoing trade agreements;

• the five-year (sunset) review process for existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders, along with the status of review cases initiated through August 2000;

• the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement process for adjudicating trade disputes among its members and the current status of existing cases involving the United States;

• a ranking of the industry and commodity groups that experienced the most significant shifts in trade during 1998-99 as well as discussion of the reasons for the largest shifts in trade at the sector and commodity levels; and

• foreign currency exchange rate trends in 1999, and the trend in certain countries of adopting the U.S. dollar as their official currency.

Shifts in U.S. Merchandise Trade in 1999 (Inv. No. 332-345, USITC Publication 3353, September 2000) will be available on the ITC's Internet site 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.