Weekly pulse · Week of October 12

Weekly Pulse — October 12, 2026

Hurricane Simón halted Manzanillo over the weekend and the peso posted its fifth straight weekly loss. Ocean freight keeps easing, but this week the cost sits in rescheduled appointments and the exchange rate.

Published October 12, 2026, with data closed that same day

Drewry WCI: $4,351
FIX exchange rate: $18.4163
MVE transition: 19 days

In brief

The peso again weighs more than freight
The FIX rose 1.2% to 18.4163 after Banxico's minutes, while the WCI fell 2% to $4,351/FEU.
Manzanillo starts the week behind
Simón suspended terminals on Saturday and the Navy closed navigation on Sunday; expect packed appointments and rescheduled vessels.
The MVE is still not in the DOF
There are 19 days of transition left to Oct 31; find your date in the MVE checklist.
Textiles, no automatic permit
It is no longer required since Sep 15, Economía and ANAM confirmed.
What we still don't know
There is no figure for the steel 232 cut, no date for the fourth USMCA round and no September EAX.

Rates and FX

Freight eases; the dollar climbs.

The peso strung together its fifth weekly loss. Banxico set the FIX at 18.4163 on Oct 9, versus 18.1903 on Oct 2 (+1.2%), erasing Tuesday's recovery, when it touched 17.9670. The turn came with the Oct 8 minutes: three of the five Board members opened the door to cutting the 6.50% rate, and the peso lost appeal. Every centavo raises the peso base for duty, DTA and VAT on your entry. At sea it is the opposite: Drewry's WCI fell 2% to $4,351/FEU on Oct 8 and Shanghai–Los Angeles slipped 3% to $7,624. Drewry expects stable rates next week. For Asia–Mexico, the September EAX is still unpublished; August was $6,415/FEU.

What to do this week

Recost the entries you will pay in October at today's FIX and, if your supplier invoices in dollars, agree with your bank how much you will hedge.

Recost your landed cost at today's FIX? Let's talk

Ports and customs

Simón stalled Manzanillo and the MVE is still not in the DOF.

Hurricane Simón forced Manzanillo's main terminals to suspend operations on Saturday, Oct 10, and to move appointments to today, Monday the 12th. On Sunday the Navy reported navigation closed at Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas; as of this edition we found no official reopening notice. Expect a week of packed appointments, rescheduled vessels and full yards. In customs, the MVE extension is still only an early SAT version: as of Oct 12, the DOF has not published it. There are 19 days left to Oct 31, and the requirement for definitive imports arrives on Jan 15, 2027. Also, Economía and ANAM confirmed on Oct 5 that textiles and apparel no longer need an automatic import permit since Sep 15.

What to do this week

Confirm with your broker the new appointment and vessel date for each container in Manzanillo, and budget for extra storage. If you import textiles, check that your entries no longer ask for that permit.

Have containers in Manzanillo this week? Let's talk

Trade and border

There is progress on Section 232, but no tariff changed.

Economía said this week that Mexico is close to a deal to cut the Section 232 tariff on steel, now 50%, though with no figure. On Monday, Sheinbaum spoke of "important progress" but no final deal, and the fourth USMCA round still has no date. What does have a calendar is the 2027 review: on Oct 5 the Federal Register published USTR's public consultation, with comments due Jan 12, 2027, and on Oct 14 the USITC holds a hearing on automotive rules of origin. These are the formal channels for industry to weigh in on the review.

What to do this week

Keep planning on current tariffs. If your supply chain is automotive or steel, gather with your trade chamber the origin data you want to bring to the consultation.

Is your tariff code exposed to Section 232? Let's talk

Sources

Every figure in this edition comes from public sources, with data as of October 12, 2026. Freight indexes move week to week: use them as a trend reference, not as a quote.