Ease of doing business
theboardiQ Tariffs Dashboard:
Powering Mutually Beneficial Global Trade.
Understand the complexities of international tariffs and ease of doing business across nations to cultivate balanced trade relationships, streamline operations, and deliver cost savings to end consumers.
Implications
Based on the current trade environment in October 2025, here is an update focusing on Saint Helena, new deals and agreements, and the general impact of the US tariff policy on companies.
1. Saint Helena's Trade Status with the US
Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory, has an extremely small trade relationship with the United States and is not a major focus of recent US tariff actions.
Area | Status (October 2025) | Key Details |
Trade Agreements | No known new US trade agreements. | Saint Helena's trade is primarily governed by its status as a British Overseas Territory, and there are no specific US trade agreements or new tariff actions targeting it. |
Bilateral Trade (Example: July 2025) | Minimal | In July 2025, trade data showed Saint Helena's exports to the US were minimal ($760k), mainly comprising frozen fish. US exports to Saint Helena were also minimal ($132k). The small scale of this trade makes it insignificant in the context of the current global tariff war. |
2. Latest US Trade Deals and Agreements
The US has focused on implementing its "reciprocal tariff" policy and engaging in sector-specific deals with select partners.
Partner | Latest Development (2025) | Key Details |
Japan | Trade Agreement Implemented | A trade agreement became effective in September 2025. It sets a reciprocal tariff rate of 15% (inclusive of Most Favored Nation (MFN) rates) for most products, with sector-specific tariffs/exemptions for goods like automobiles and parts. |
Vietnam | Framework Trade Deal | A framework trade deal was announced in July 2025. It proposes the US imposes a 20% tariff on most Vietnamese exports (and 40% on transshipped goods), while Vietnam would grant zero tariffs on US imports. Details are still being finalized. |
Other Partners | Ongoing Negotiations | The US administration has reached "preliminary agreements" or established "temporary truces" with several partners (e.g., Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, UK, EU) as part of its reciprocal tariff agenda. |
New Sectoral Tariffs | Wood Products | New tariffs under Section 232 were announced in September, effective October 14, 2025, on products like softwood timber (∼10%), upholstered furniture (∼25%), and kitchen cabinets/vanities (∼25%), with plans to escalate these rates in 2026. |
3. Impact on Companies and the US Economy
The new tariffs implemented throughout 2025 have had a measurable, though sometimes delayed, impact on the private sector and consumers.
Impact Area | Trend (October 2025) | Key Details |
Cost Burden | Borne by US Firms/Consumers | Multiple reports indicate that the new tariffs are primarily paid by US importers (companies) and passed on to American households, rather than being borne by foreign exporters. |
Consumer Prices | Inflationary Pressure | Tariffs are estimated to have caused an increase in the prices of certain goods, with one analysis suggesting that 61-80% of the new 2025 tariff cost was passed through to consumer core goods prices. |
Market Reaction | Increased Volatility | The recent escalation of the US-China trade war, particularly the threat of a 100% additional tariff on China, caused a sharp drop in major stock market indices. |
Supply Chains | Diversification and Rerouting | Companies are actively working to minimize tariff impact through supply chain diversification. There are concerns that Chinese exports intended for the US may be rerouted to other countries, potentially impacting global competition and prices. |
Government Revenue | Significant Increase | The tariffs have led to a substantial increase in US government customs duty revenue, with estimates projecting over $2.3 trillion in revenue over the next decade. |
US Revised Tariffs
Country Tariffs
Balance of Trade
Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in countries, prepared by U.S. Embassies worldwide, Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Tariff Rate for US
World Bank staff estimates using the World Integrated Trade Solution system, based on tariff data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Trade Analysis and Information System ( TRAINS ) database and global imports data from the United Nations Statistics Division's Comtrade database.
US Imports Guide
United States Imports from Countries during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Imports from Countries- data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on April of 2025.
Investing in USA
theboardiQ Economic Relevance Score, ranks States of USA based on 11 parameters
Sources : Forbes | USDA Economic Research | TCGen Total Innovation Rank Index | Best States for Manufacturing | World Population Review | Tax Foundation | US News | BEA Data | Wikipedia | International Trade Administration
theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of a nation's economic vitality and global significance. This score is meticulously calculated using 11 key parameters, each reflecting a critical facet of economic performance. It analyzes the representation of Fortune 500 companies within a nation, a strong indicator of its business environment and market size. The balance of trade surplus or deficit reveals the nation's international competitiveness and export strength. It incorporates Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a fundamental measure of overall economic output, and examine the health of key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. The score also accounts for innovation, gauging a nation's ability to drive future growth through technological advancements. Crucial labor market indicators such as employment rates are considered, alongside fiscal policies reflected in tax rates. To capture the lived experience of citizens, it assesses cost of living and disposable income, providing insight into purchasing power and economic well-being. Finally, education levels are integrated, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering a skilled workforce and driving long-term economic development. By synthesizing these 11 parameters, theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score delivers a nuanced and holistic view of a nation's economic standing, enabling informed strategic decisions. The Top 5 States in the assessment are Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Washington. Texas does consistently well across most of the 11 variables especially in the areas of GDP, F500 representation in the State, Balance of Trade where it ranks 2nd nationally. North Carolina scores as the highest-ranking state nationally in manufacturing and performs consistently across the other variables. Virginia does well in disposable income where it ranks 3rd nationally. It also scores high in the variables of manufacturing and employment Florida holds the 4th ranking nationally for GDP and Tax Washington State scores the top spot for disposable income nationally, 2nd for education and 3rd for innovation. Colorado, with an overall rank of 7 scores the top spot for Education (schools and higher education). Nebraska, that ranked 10th overall, did well in Agriculture where it is ranked 3rd nationally as well as Trade Balance where it ranked 5th. Illinois, though ranked 20th overall did well nationally in F500 representation, GDP, Agriculture, and Disposable Income. Pennsylvania comes in at 21 overall doing well nationally in GDP (6th); Manufacturing (8th) and F500 representation (8th) New York scores 23rd overall with a 2 ranking in Disposable Income nationally, as well as 3rd in both F500 representation and GDP. California comes in at 29th overall and has the top spot ranking in a whopping 4 variables nationally – GDP, Innovation, Agriculture and F500 representation. However, performance in the areas of Trade Balance, Cost of Living, Tax, Manufacturing and Employment resulted in the overall ranking dipping. Wyoming at 30th overall scores the top spot nationally in the area of Tax Massachusetts at 31 overall does well in innovation where it is ranked 2nd nationally Arkansas at 36 and Alabama at 39, do well in overall Cost of Living where they are ranked 2nd and 3rd nationally, respectively. Louisiana ranked 44th overall is ranked 1st in Trade Balance nationally.
Economic
Relevance
Ranking
State | Info | Overall Rank | Agri | Innov | Mfg | Employ | Tax | Edu | GDP | F500 Rep | Trade Balance | Cost of Living | Disp Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 | |
North Carolina | 2 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 17 | 17 | |
Virginia | 3 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 35 | 3 | |
Florida | 4 | 21 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 40 | 30 | 37 | |
Washington | 5 | 16 | 3 | 36 | 28 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 43 | 1 | |
Missouri | 6 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 32 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 20 | |
Georgia | 7 | 15 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 34 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 26 | 19 | |
Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 10 | 47 | 6 | 44 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 9 | |
Ohio | 9 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 30 | 35 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 15 | 11 | |
Illinois | 10 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 37 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 32 | 7 |