Ep 56: Trump will raise tariff rates on Chinese goods

Long story short President Donald Trump says the U.S. will hike tariffs on most imports from China as his trade war with Beijing escalates. The U.S. will raise duties on $250 billion in Chinese goods to 30% from 25% and increase tariffs on another $300 billion in products to 15% from 10%. Earlier, China announced…

Ep 32: Cloak And Dagger

What’s Going On Here? The US reported that China’s April holdings of American government bonds were at their lowest level in two years. Investors pondered whether the decline was in retaliation to ongoing trade tariffs. What Does This Mean? China owns almost 1/3 of all US debt held outside America. (China likes Uncle Sam’s bonds: they’re low-risk since the US can always print more…

Ep 29: The Art of the Deal

What’s going on here? New signs emerged that the trade war is dragging down the global economy. The International Energy Agency cut its projection for energy demand this year by 100,000 barrels to 1.2 million barrels per day, citing the “worsening trade outlook” as a “common theme across all regions”; China reported the slowest growth…

Ep 7: Another Day, Another Tariff

What’s Going On Here?America’s announcement of new tariffs on Mexican products sent investors running from stock markets straight into government bonds (yields of which hit new lows). What Does This Mean?The US plans to charge an initial 5% tariff on all Mexican imports, rising each month until it reaches 25% unless Mexico agrees to curb…