Commodities, Business & Shipping (and Tariffs)

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Fortune

Nobel-winning economist warns Trump’s tariff walk back makes them ‘worse’ than they were in the first place​

  • Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman warns that President Trump's unpredictable and often reversed tariff policies are creating deep uncertainty, discouraging business investment and thus increasing the risk of recession. While concerns about inflation exist, Krugman emphasizes that the greater threat lies in declining investment in trade-sensitive sectors due to the lack of stability in U.S. foreign policy.
If there's one thing investors don't like it's uncertainty, and President Trump's ever-evolving stance on tariffs is not helping matters.

Investors have no way to shield themselves from the impact of the White House's foreign policy decisions, said Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, adding the political system offers no safety net to prevent extreme proposals.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...S&cvid=d963b960df2e4dc299efd81a3591dde4&ei=19
 
^^^^^^
It's amazing how one man can have such an adverse effect upon the supply chain and the world economy. Congress needs to take back their power and end this craziness.
 

At G20 in Washington, top Chinese officials slam trade war as talks remain elusive​

Central bank governor and finance minister address G20 ministers but conclude trip without official dialogue with US counterparts

China’s central bank governor and finance minister – its top financial and economic officials – have condemned the trade war at a Group of 20 ministers meeting in Washington, concluding the tour without official bilateral dialogue with their US counterparts.

“There are no winners in trade wars or tariff wars, and major economies should enhance their participation in international macroeconomic and financial policy coordination,” Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China, said in an official statement on Friday following this week’s meeting.

More:

 

Buy now, stock up or delay: Here’s what consumers are snapping up or putting off in face of tariffs​

Published Fri, Apr 25 2025 12:47 PM EDT

  • Tariffs have fueled car purchases across the country and some iPhone upgrades, too.
  • Yet in other categories, U.S. consumers have delayed rather than sped up purchases, according to surveys by market research firms and a recent Federal Reserve report.
  • Procter & Gamble CFO Andre Schulten said Thursday that tariffs have contributed to “a more nervous consumer” who pulled back in the last two months of the quarter.
At car dealerships across the country, consumers are rushing to buy new vehicles ahead of tariff-related price hikes. Some shoppers have also replaced iPhones early.

Yet when it comes to other items, retailers aren’t seeing widespread stock-ups or huge waves of early purchases due to tariffs — or at least not yet. Instead, U.S. shoppers seem hesitant to spend and inclined to delay purchases rather than speed them up, according to consumer surveys by market researchers and early reads from the Federal Reserve.

More:

 

The HORRIFYING FUTURE of Online Shopping..​

Apr 26, 2025

Tipping culture has already gotten way out of control, but this new story takes the cake. There are online stores that are asking for up to like 25% tip for the team of the store on top of your purchase amount. Someone you've never seen. Someone you've never met. Someone who's never served you. As if buying their product or service is not showing enough support anymore.


18:28

Articles Mentioned in the Video
https://www.axios.com/local/twin-citi...
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/ford-lin...
https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/tes...
 

Tariff tit-for-tat has Seattle waiting for the ships to come in​

Like many of his neighbors near the Seattle waterfront, Alex Smith keeps a close eye on the big container ships crossing Elliott Bay to and from the terminals at the Port of Seattle.

So when Smith, a retired marine components industry professional, noticed fewer vessels coming through starting in mid-April, he worried it was an “early warning system” for the effects of the widening U.S.-China trade dispute.

“It’s frightening, to tell you the truth,” Smith, 80, said of the possible economic costs as the two countries’ escalating tariffs have made trade much more expensive.

Fewer ships coming into the U.S. means companies can’t get components. Retailers and consumers can’t get products. Farmers and manufacturers lose foreign markets. “Everything stops,” Smith said.

More:

 

CNBC Daily Open: Countries are pivoting away from the U.S. amid Trump policies​

  • Stocks closed last week in the green, but U.S. futures edged downward Sunday night local time.
  • At a Politburo meeting Friday, China called for more support to help domestic businesses.
  • Factories in China are pausing production and sending workers home as U.S. tariffs bite.
  • U.S. President Donald Trump signed on Thursday an executive order to jump-start deep-sea mining.
  • Southeast Asian countries are turning to each other in the face of Trump tariffs and a growing U.S.-China trade war.
  • This week is packed with earnings reports from the “Magnificent Seven” as well as inflation and jobs data.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” ideology, which, generally speaking, prioritizes the domestic over the international, rests on the assumption that the world needs America more than it needs the world.

This may be true for the status quo. The U.S. is the world’s largest importer and among the biggest exporters, according to the World Integrated Trade Solution, a database provided by the World Trade Organization. And its policies are already being felt: Factories in China are struggling to fill their order books because of increased export costs to the U.S.

But change is afoot. Countries are finding ways to respond to Trump’s nationalistic gestures.

More:

 

What the Ship (Ep 123): Flag-Hopping | EU & Insurance | China Tariff | COSCO | IMO Carbon Tariff​

Apr 28, 2025 #supplychain #tariffs #registry

Flag Hopping | EU Demands Ship Insurance | Transpacific Trade | COSCO & Port Fees | IMO & Decarbonization Tariffs


26:32

00:00 Introduction
00:54 1. Flag hopping hits unprecedented levels among sanctioned fleet https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153276/...
04:12 2. EU to demand insurance information in its waters https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153273/...
08:23 3. No relief for transpacific trade despite talk of lower China tariff https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153263/...
18:35 4. Most shipping lines can avoid US port fees but Cosco faces major challenge https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153279/...
22:13 5. IMO & Decarbonization Decarbonisation now depends on one key detail https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153260/...
IMO carbon price not a done deal industry warned https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1153248/...
 

'It's about to get much, much worse', says FreightWaves' Craig Fullers on U.S. import slowdown​

Apr 28, 2025
Craig Fuller, FreightWaves, joins 'Fast Money' to talk the downturn in shipping and freight into the U.S.


2:38
 

CNBC Daily Open: U.S. consumers are starting to feel the pinch of Trump tariffs​

  • Stocks globally inched up.
  • HSBC announced a $3 billion share buyback. Deutsche Bank’s first-quarter profit jumped.
  • China denied that it is in talks with the U.S. over a tariff deal, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “it’s up to China to de-escalate.”
  • Chinese e-tailer Temu has started adding “import charges” in response to tariffs.
  • IBM said it will invest $150 billion in the U.S. over the next five years.
  • Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party is projected to win the country’s national election.
  • Apple, Meta Platforms and Microsoft report earnings this week.
More:

 

Port of LA's Gene Seroka on tariff impact: Retailers have about 5-7 weeks of full inventories left​

Apr 29, 2025

Gene Seroka, Port of LA executive director, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the impact of tariffs on U.S. imports and shipments, impact of new tariffs on Chinese goods on shipments from China, tariff impact on retailers, and more.

Port of LA's Gene Seroka on tariff impact: Retailers have about 5-7
 

White House denounces Amazon for plan to disclose cost of US tariffs​

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday denounced Amazon's reported plans to disclose the cost that U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump were adding to its products, and slammed the retail giant for its past ties to China.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had discussed the Amazon plan, reported earlier by Punchbowl News, with Trump, and his message about it was: "This is a hostile and political act by Amazon."

More:

 
Reuters

Profit warnings and uncertainty as Trump tariffs send a chill through businesses​

By Christoph Steitz, Marie Mannes and Helen Reid

FRANKFURT/STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) -General Motors and Volvo Cars abandoned their guidance, Adidas warned of price hikes and Porsche and Electrolux cut their full-year outlooks on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war continued to send shivers through the corporate world.

The barrage of negative news will add to evidence that trade chaos is taking a major toll on companies, forcing many to cut spending or consider moving production, up-ending supply chains and making it tough to plan beyond the immediate term.

The uncertainty unleashed by Trump's imposition of sweeping tariffs, followed by the temporary suspension of some, is also hurting consumers, who are spending less, raising fears of a sharp economic downturn in the United States and beyond.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...S&cvid=422de054d2ee4ce3822bdcc7d1f956f3&ei=33
 

What's Going on With US Ports? | Are US Ports Ghost Towns? | Is Cargo Sailing from China?​

Apr 29, 2025 #supplychain #containers #tariffs

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses the reports that US ports are empty and ghost towns and that no cargo from China is sailing to the United States.


10:43

Marine Traffic www.marinetraffic.com
Ports of Seattle and Tacoma Vessel Schedule https://www.nwseaportalliance.com/car...
Port of Savannah Vessel Schedule https://gaports.com/vessel-schedule/
Port of Houston Containership Schedule https://porthouston.com/toolbox/conta...
Port of Los Angeles Cargo Operations Dashboard https://www.portoflosangeles.org/busi...
Port Of Los Angeles Warns 'Difficult Decisions' Ahead As Shipments From China Cease https://www.investors.com/news/trump-...
 
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