The Trump administration tax policies enacted toward the end of 2017 first showed signs of a positive impact very early in 2018. Economic growth, which had been stagnant at about 2% since recovery from the “Great Recession,” began to increase and home building accelerated in the first half of 2018. This, along with certain supply issues that limited lumber production, markedly drove up lumber prices during the first six months of 2018.

Sitting in my office at Hilco Valuation Services on a brisk March day earlier this year, I put the phone down and headed into the hallway to share some surprising information with a colleague. That day alone, I had received three separate inquiries from around the U.S., all pertaining to potential valuation and liquidation engagements within the Motor Coach industry.

In this article, we take a look at the momentum underway to shift the global plastics sustainability paradigm and explore the potential impact of those efforts on both the planet and businesses along the plastics value chain.

In early March, as the threat to our domestic economy from COVID-19 was measured in terms of the potential impact on our supply chain, the mood in the automotive industry continued to be generally optimistic, and for good reason.

This article describes the current state of the U.S. coal industry, providing a data-driven analysis of what is often described in emotional and political terms. With natural gas providing a lower-cost alternative and proponents of the Green New Deal and other advocacy groups campaigning to reduce or eliminate coal from the nation’s energy sources, the industry is under pressure from both economic and political forces. The paragraphs below summarize the industry, its markets and perhaps its future.