NAFTA talks that were supposed to end last year might continue into 2019

Talks aimed at reaching a new trade agreement involving the United States, Canada and Mexico are expected to continue for months beyond a March 31 deadline and could even extend into 2019, according to industry executives and others close to the negotiations. The delay means that the contentious three-way bargaining — involving lucrative markets and issues of national sovereignty — may collide with elections later this year in both Mexico and the United States. For now, the American threat to abandon the talks appears to have receded. But none of the main stumbling blocks have been resolved, leaving substantial work for subsequent meetings that are tentatively planned in Mexico City at the end of February and in Washington the following month.