A tentative deal to end the labor dispute that shut down the ports. Clerical workers at the at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will return to work today after a week-long strike.

The tentative agreement was reached last night, amid growing concern about the economic impact of the shut down. The ports handle about 40 percent of all U.S. imports and the strike threatened business interests ranging from retail to industrial.

Jock O'Connell is an international trade economist and advisor to Beacon Economics.