A small-scale trade deal signed by the U.S. and EU may be designed to bolster the Trump administration’s deal-making credentials ahead of the elections. U.S. seaborne imports may have ended their 10-month losing streak in August. Also: Deere downbeat on farmers’ fluid feelings about trade policy; MSC delivers the opposite of blanking as Maersk hits China-U.S. record; smokers, babies could be winners from Lighthizer’s WTO proposal; Phase 1 lives to fight another day; Trump’s six trade targets for term two; and a Canada-U.S. disagreement lumbers onward at the WTO.

...