Every day, evidence is accumulating in the business world showing that the chaotic implementation of customs duties decided by US President Donald Trump is translating into a certain prudence in the business world. The uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff threats and his changing trade policies is beginning to have a deterrent effect on many sectors, businesses warn, as consumers turn away from everything, from staple products needed for travel. These concerns have translated into a stock market liquidation two days this week that has erased nearly 5 000 billion dollars of the market value of the S&P 500. The peak was reached last month, when Wall Street welcomed a large part of Trump’s program. While markets were wobbling, business leaders largely refrained from publicly criticizing Trump’s trade policy, preferring to invoke “uncertainty” to explain the decline in confidence. Several economic advisors to Trump have repeatedly downplayed the market’s concerns and stressed the need to reorient the economy towards national production, even if this entails short-term damage. I’m going to get you a drink.
The tariff chaos provoked by Trump strikes consumers
