Buyer Weekly Brief: June 3–9, 2025
The week of June 3-9, 2025, presented a dynamic and often challenging landscape for buyers. The U.S. tariff environment remained highly volatile, with the temporary reinstatement of IEEPA tariffs creating immediate cost implications and prompting a rush among importers to expedite goods from China. This legal uncertainty directly impacted supply chain costs and lead times, contributing to strained shipping capacity and elevated freight rates. Simultaneously, the digital transformation within procurement and vendor management continued to accelerate, emphasizing automation and AI for efficiency and risk mitigation. For individual buyers, the U.S. housing market presented persistent challenges, characterized by stubbornly high mortgage rates and continued home price appreciation, making affordability a significant barrier.
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Bank of America Predicts Major Housing Market Changes Are Coming Soon
Bank of America’s 2025 Homebuyer Insights Report, published around June 6, 2025, indicates that while housing market conditions are improving, buyers remain hesitant to commit to purchases. More than half of prospective homebuyers believe the market is in a better position than a year ago. However, a significant 75% of buyers are holding out for lower mortgage rates and housing prices, consequently delaying their purchase decisions. This hesitation is compounded by persistent inflation, ongoing trade tensions, and broader financial instability, which continue to keep mortgage rates elevated and constrain overall home sales. [2]
Published: June 6, 2025
https://www.thestreet.com/real-estate/bank-of-america-predicts-major-housing-market-changes-are-coming-soon -
U.S. Department of Commerce to Deny Ethane Export Licenses to China
On June 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced its intent to deny export licenses for three ethane cargoes bound for China. This move, targeting Enterprise Products Partners, signals a broader crackdown on energy exports to the United States’ largest trading partner. The Trump administration’s new licensing requirements have effectively blocked previously unrestricted commodity shipments, forcing major U.S. energy companies to halt billions of dollars in planned exports. Loaded tankers are currently sitting idle off the coast of Houston, Texas, highlighting the immediate impact of these policy changes on the supply chain. [3]
Published: June 9, 2025
The Ethane Export Control Fiasco: What London Trade Talks Cannot Fix -
Airline, Aerospace Industries Warn Trump Tariffs Could Risk Air Safety, Supply Chains
Groups representing airline and aerospace companies issued a warning on June 7, 2025, stating that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported commercial aircraft, jet engines, and parts could jeopardize air safety and supply chains. The industry had already been hit with a 10% tariff on all imports in April, followed by a Commerce Department investigation (Section 232) assessing national security risks from imported goods. The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and Airlines for America urged the Commerce Department to consult with the industry to ensure that any Section 232 tariffs do not put the supply chain and aviation safety at risk. They warned that increased tariffs could spike ticket prices, hurt the recovering aviation supply chain, and potentially increase counterfeit parts in the market. [4]
Published: June 5, 2025
Airline, aerospace industries warn Trump tariffs could risk air safety, supply chains | LiveNOW from FOX -
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul Adoption by Agencies
Federal procurement is undergoing a significant transformation, with various U.S. government agencies adopting class deviations to overhaul the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The Department of State (DOS), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Commerce (DOC), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) have all issued class deviations to implement and incorporate model deviations for different FAR parts. These revisions are part of an Executive Order aimed at restoring common sense to federal procurement, streamlining regulations, and reducing administrative burdens. This ongoing overhaul, with Phase One expected between April and October 2025, will impact how federal entities acquire common goods and services, requiring contractors to assess their exposure and monitor updates. [5]
Published: June 6, 2025
Weekly Update for Government Contractors and Commercial Businesses – June 2025 | PilieroMazza PLLC - JDSupra
Tools & Tips
- Interactive Product Demos (e.g., Storylane)
Tools like Storylane offer interactive product demos and self-guided experiences, allowing buyers to explore solutions hands-on before committing. This empowers buyers to access content relevant to their needs on-demand and provides a hand-held experience even before meeting sales teams, ensuring they receive only relevant content. [6, 7]
The 12 Best Buyer Enablement Tools for 2025
Fun Fact
Did you know that the very first recorded procurement activities date back an astonishing 5,000 years to 3,000 BC in ancient Egypt? During the monumental construction of the pyramids, scribes played a crucial role, meticulously managing and recording the materials and labor needed for various tasks. This demonstrates that the fundamental need for organized acquisition of goods and services is as old as civilization itself. [8]
Fast forward to the 19th century, and the emergence of what would be recognized today as the first dedicated “purchasing department” within an industrial operation can be observed. This innovation occurred within the burgeoning railway companies, which quickly realized that the intelligence and fidelity exercised in purchasing, caring for, and using railway supplies directly impacted their construction costs, operating expenses, and even the company’s reputation and profits. [8]
We’d love to hear from you!
Have you participated in any Buyer events or utilized new Buyer tools recently? Share your experiences or insights with us—we’re featuring selected community voices in next week’s edition.