Previously delayed 25% tariffs on goods coming into the United States from Mexico and Canada are now scheduled to take effect Tuesday, March 4, the Trump administration announced Thursday. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that an additional 10% tariff on products from China would also be enacted on that day.

Analysts have projected rising consumer costs from new tariffs, along with higher prices for crucial construction materials. Another potential effect could be higher demand for U.S. industrial real estate near border areas, as companies shift their shipment routing and locations where goods are produced and warehoused to avoid higher tariff costs.

The Mexico and Canada tariffs were originally slated to take effect Feb. 3 but were delayed as talks progressed among trade officials. On Truth Social, Trump said the tariffs are needed in part to combat the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S. from the two bordering countries, which he said remained “at very high and unacceptable levels.”

Trump said a previously announced reciprocal tariff on all other imported goods from multiple countries is still scheduled to take effect April 2. The latest China-focused tariff is on top of an earlier announced 10% tariff, bringing the total for that country’s goods to 20%.

Major theme park operators are pushing forward in 2025 with new development in spite of severe weather that reduced revenue and attendance in late 2024. Executives of United Parks & Resorts and Six Flags Entertainment told analysts this week they’re continuing to build back toward pre-pandemic attendance, aided by factors including rebounding international and group visits that had lagged for the past two years.

Orlando, Florida-based United Parks & Resorts, operator of 13 venues under brands such as SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, no longer plans to open its first on-site hotel in 2026 as previously announced. But CEO Marc Swanson said the company is scouting ways to maximize its real estate, with discussions underway with potential partners “on ways to unlock and/or monetize” about 400 acres of unused land at its parks.

United Parks plans capital spending of about $225 million this year as it builds or opens several attractions, including a new aquarium and “immersive flying experience” at SeaWorld Orlando, and what is billed as North America’s longest inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia.

Swanson estimated hurricanes and other severe weather cost United Parks about 167,000 customer visits in the fourth quarter, resulting in slight declines in revenue and net income, and 432,000 visitors for full-year 2024. Fourth-quarter revenue was $384.4 million, and net income was $27.9 million. 

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Six Flags Entertainment plans an opening on Saturday, March 1, for what it said is the nation’s largest attraction geared toward DC Comics superheroes like Batman and Superman. The expansion at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio was among $1 billion across several projects announced ahead of last year’s merger of Six Flags and rival Cedar Fair Entertainment, which closed July 1.

Six Flags CEO Richard Zimmerman this week said the company, which now operates a total 51 theme parks and resort properties, has attained about $50 million in cost savings since the merger closed. Quarterly attendance rose by 5 million from a year earlier at legacy Six Flags parks while declining 115,000 at legacy Cedar Fair venues.

Initial U.S. claims for unemployment insurance hit their highest weekly total of the year, reaching 242,000 for the week ended Feb. 22. That was up 22,000 from the prior week’s revised level, and on the high end of initial claims ranging between 200,000 and 250,000 during the past year, according to Labor Department figures released Thursday.

The four-week moving average for initial claims was 224,000, an increase of 8,500 from the previous week’s revised average. Continued claims in all programs, reported on a more delayed basis, totaled about 2.2 million for the week ended Feb. 8, rising nearly 4,700 from the prior week and also higher than the 2.1 million continued claims in the comparable week of 2024.

Analysts said the full extent of ongoing federal job cuts is yet to be seen in unemployment claims, which remain low by historical standards. More than 200,000 job cuts have been announced at federal agencies as part of Trump administration cost reductions, though some of those layoffs have been reversed or delayed by legal challenges.

The government said initial claims in the Washington, D.C., area, expected to be most affected by federal cuts, totaled about 2,000 for the week ended Feb. 22. That was up 26% from the prior week and the highest level for that region since the week ended March 25, 2023.