Tariff - The Official Tariff Thread

[Looper]

Is it 'Love'?

Not according to our bright orange Cheeto in Chief.

He reckons the most beautiful word in the English language is 'Tariff'.

The overarching principles behind his enamour for this economic tool seem to be manifold:

1. Basic fairness and equality of tariff application for US import vs export
2. Improve balance of trade with other nations
3. Force manufacturing of goods to take place in the US for domestic economic activity
4. A tool of punishment and coercion

Economics is quagmire of calculational complexity since it is a study grounded in human behaviour, which is itself fickle to predict, so it is hard to know what all the short, medium and long term effects of Trump's various economic tariff actions will be.

He has used them in the short term to effectively coerce cooperation with Venezuela on repatriation of illegal migrants (4). The results for 1 and 2 are medium term outcomes and still in the mix. The outcome for goal 3 will not be known for years probably.

The one in the news today is the car tariff on Europe. For years the US has run huge trade deficits on car manufacturing. Historically this was because Americans simply could not build cars, as attested frequently and correctly by Jeremy Clarkson.

But the US has lifted its game and could contend as a car manufacturer. But the short term effects of the car tariffs are wreaking havoc on the automotive markets.

It will be interesting to see where this all goes.

[Looper]

'It's going to get worse': US car buyers brace for sweeping auto tariffs

For two years, Jeannie Dillard has saved what she can on her fixed income to replace the vehicle that was stolen from her home and found totalled a few miles away.

She looked around a used car dealership in Virginia on Thursday, peering at sticker prices with a newfound worry: blanket tariffs on foreign cars and car parts that experts warn could drive up prices in the US, which kick in next week.

She'd like to buy a car now, she said, but "I have to wait until my finances improve".

Ms Dillard is among the plethora of Americans bracing for expected economic turbulence under President Donald Trump's sweeping auto tariffs - an unprecedented US trade policy manoeuvre.

"It took me a long time to save up for the last car," she said. "If prices get too high, I'm obviously not going to buy something that I can't afford."

She added: "We'll just have to wait and see."

US car buyers against Donald Trump'''s automotive tariff deadline

[Shutree]

Economics is quagmire of calculational complexity since it is a study grounded in human behaviour, which is itself fickle to predict, so it is hard to know what all the short, medium and long term effects of Trump's various economic tariff actions will be.

I have mislaid my crystal ball so I cannot add much to the speculation. However, most economists seem to see this as 'a bad thing' that will not do anything to boost the US economy during this administration.

On the other hand, I watched a European economist on a YT video that I cannot now find, setting out a rational argument why Europe will be better off without the US as a defence backstop. He acknowledged that this was only one possible scenario, still it is easy to agree that this is the impetus needed to get the EU functioning more coherently. For example, he said that defence analysts suggest 300,000 men under arms are needed, which sounds like a big number, in a bloc where there are 30 million people unemployed, which sounds like a huge number. It might not all be bad news for Europe.

[malmomike77]

Well the EU has imposed a 10% tariff on US vehicles for some time so now they are sqealing about getting some back 5555555555

[cyrille]

Clitoris

[Looper]

Clitoris is a terrible word. Sounds like an alien life-form from Star Wars or something.

It should be called love-prawn or tickle-bean or something more friendly sounding.

Although that is only the visible part that we know and love.

If you see the entire organ depicted in a biological schematic it resembles the creature that latches onto your face in Alien and quite scary.

So on second thoughts maybe Clitoris is not so bad after all.

[Mendip]

Clitoris is a terrible word.

Yet it just rolls off the tongue.

[baldrick]

Although that is only the visible part that we know and love

Speaking for yourself ?

Knowing where the other parts of the clitoris , thad , lelumpuri hang out increases the fun of the interaction.

[dirk diggler]

[malmomike77]

if only the Orange child had learnt where a clitorisi s , clearly him and JD et al havent

[Bonecollector]

Oeuvre

[Looper]

^That's fookin Froggy French!

It means eggs or something if I remember my French from 40 odd years ago. How did it become an artists body of work anyway?

[Looper]

Trump says he 'couldn't care less' about higher car prices

Donald Trump has said he "couldn't care less" if carmakers raise prices after his 25% tariffs on foreign-made vehicles comes into effect.

Some analysts have warned that Trump's charges on businesses importing vehicles could lead to the temporary shutdown of significant car production in the US, increase prices, and strain relations with allies.

But speaking to NBC News on Saturday, the US president said he hoped foreign carmakers raise prices as it means "people are gonna buy American-made cars. We have plenty".

Trump says he '''couldn'''t care less''' if foreign car prices rise


I forgot to add number 5 to my list. Probably the most obvious one.

5. Encourage US consumers to buy American instead of foreign to boost the US economy.

Whether this cunning Trumpian masterplan pans out is anybody's guess however, given the vagaries of forecasting in the fickle field of economics.

I still wince sometimes when I see the language Trump has chosen to make his feelings clear. He is the quintessential iconoclast when it comes to political style.

[Bonecollector]

^That's fookin Froggy French!

It means eggs or something if I remember my French from 40 odd years ago. How did it become an artists body of work anyway?

Eggs spelt and pronounced slightly differently but yes probably is a French word. Definitely used in modern stay English so I'm counting it.

[david44]

It means eggs

Un oeuf is enuff as Mendy watches alaying, the French for an egg in St Germain de LAY , which is the earliest known referemce tp assualted crisps.

Oeuvre as in manouevre, hors d'oeuvres means work derived from the ancient Italian/Latin opus, as in Opus Day , O pussy pussy my love wart a beautiful Pussy you are
Chef d'ouvre the well known Queue Ban revolutionary and bike mechanic rote Moto Cy dire rears , a terrible end but lovely revalving, the acme of Argey Bargee

Of course as any Keynsian of Miesian ecometrist knows Ta Riffs are for the Riff raff and a lose lose situation, of course the current ability of USA to print $$s gives it unique leverage unequalled by others , the Co Loll Oree means or sans pareil as railway buffers may know.

We see from your lifestyle on and off the bitches and surf ants a grasp of the fun de mental sof course the bugga pitcher is above my pay grade and for the Illininate Thigh I think they are called.

They have unlmited lubricoatted access to cougars jaguars and STDs (Special Teak Dates or was Tunnocks Tea cakes).

As I always say to the mem on my meagre 2.5 star Verandah bum shack eh lass

A sigh is just a Cy , bum shankar

[snakeeyes]

Cnut , as in the big orange Cnut Trump

[david44]

The great thing about education you do not need a crystal ball you may read a book.

Global tariffs like any other friction reduces volume , jobs and living standards.Keynes knew this a century back.

Are tariffs bad for growth? Yes, say five decades of data from 150 countries - PMC

[qwerty]

Trump's policies have nothing to do with creating a healthy economy, just as DOGE has nothing to do with improving governmental efficiency. They are both aimed at creating an end-game capitalist society where nothing is free and workers are just disposable cogs in the economic machine.

[david44]

Agreed and much of his often contradictory bluster his showmanship and signalling to the none too bright Alex Jones crowd in trailers who've been convinced that folks who arrived not speaking English with fe funds and resources will take their jobs.

He seems to belive you can bend that old adage and fool most of the voters most of the time, he only need a tinu margin in a few counties, You can be sure the big wallets will support his succesor with young vigourous Vance looking ominous to me.

Hardly surprising that Zuckerberg Bezos and Musk love hom, big breaks for them, lower benefits for the producers, increasingly trapped in a credit /debt spiral with no way out.

If you can make people follow a clown who eschews truth and operates weaving on flim flam it's Elmer Gantry and Pink Medicine all the way

[Looper]

Countdown to Liberation Day (!) as Trump announces the tariffs in about 3 hours.


Trump poised to reshape global economy and how world does business

Every time Donald Trump has mentioned his plan to levy massive tariffs on imports into the US, there has been a widespread assumption that they will be delayed, watered down or rowed back.

Today, he will reveal in the White House Rose Garden not just how serious he is about "the most beautiful word in the dictionary", but effectively call time on decades of economic globalisation.

And it is still possible that he will do this by launching the equivalent of a salvo of ballistic missiles into the global trading system, with a universal tariff on all imports into the USA.

The option of a 20% universal tariff is the only way to get to some of the massive revenues of trillions of dollars claimed by some of his advisers.

Trump poised to reshape global economy

[Joe 90]

Discombobulated

[Looper]

BBC live feed on Tariffs:

Trump announces minimum 10% baseline tariff on all countries

Trump unveils 10% tariff on UK imports and 20% on EU

Trump also announces the 25% tariff on all foreign-made vehicles will begin from midnight local time

Trump tariffs live updates: Watch US president announce tariffs - BBC News

[david44]

So the die is cast , a lose lose situation

Thailand 36% will be very difficult

Some very poor nations like Cambodia. B Desh and Pakistan harder hit

EU 20%
UK and Oz 10%
Vietnam 46%

In addition 25% on Autos

[david44]

Markets hit hard
Asian markets plunge as world reels from Trump tariff announcement – business live | Trump tariffs | The Guardian


Some of the worst hit were in Asia, including 49 percent for Cambodia, 47 percent for Vietnam and 44 percent for military-ruled Myanmar, which was recently hit by a devastating earthquake.
One country attracting the highest rate of 50 percent was Lesotho

[beachbound]

Falkland Islands 41%.
Population 3,498
The Keeling Islands 10%.
Population 593
Those greedy bastards will rip us off, no more!