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Enjoy di tariffs allyuh dat is all

the most economically illiterate speech I have ever heard

In reply to Chrissy

Well, I am sure Trump himself did not know or understand to real details of his speech, his management style bankrupted his casinos now that style might bankrupt the World

In reply to Chrissy

The guy placed tariffs on a country inhabited by penguins.

The best line I saw on twitter: “Now you economists know how we the epidemiologists felt when he told people to inject bleach!”

In reply to JOJO

What ???

............

Who is enjoying this????

Guyana 38% Tariff ...Rest of Caricom 10%

The so called current Tariff rates by each county was built on a bunch of false assumptions!!!! House of Lies strikes again!!!

In reply to googley

Proof of this?

Am no economist. One thing I have commented on here is my own foray into business which included trading with China and also seeing the disadvantage as a seller oof competing with Chinese companies shipping directly here.

Initially there was real opportunities for growth as many bought from China and sold to the insatiable American consumer...

With the growth of the internet and businesses like Ebay and Amazon, then Alibaba and Aliexpress, and now Shein and Temu?

The landscape has changed. But the American policies have not.

Most are familiar with the small Grey packages that are delivered from China etc.

You know how much these Chinese companies pay to ship them here? Have you ever tried to return them to China?

Or tried to ship something of the same size to China?

There are huge inequities right now in these policies of trade from these Countries.

Is this the answer? Probably not. But something has been needed for a while.....

In reply to JOJO
Perfect

In reply to Ayenmol

In reply to sudden

Yes I do.....pennies! They can ship up to a certain size for pennies. While we pay dozens of dollars to ship the same back.

Been a while since I learned this. How else do you think these companies are able to ship a $3 ring here with no shipping charge to you?

Try returning that same ring to them.....it will cost you close to $15 0r more! And they actually make money on the shipping....the cost of the item is negligible!

One of my biggest cost from China was shipping....and it went up and up the more people who got into drop shipping etc.

Why, because shipping was such a big money maker, it was cheap for them, but they could make huge monies overcharging on larger shipments.

In reply to Ayenmol

How is that China's fault? Isn't Labor supply and demand (market forces) hence cost of labor a more determinative factor than either countries labor policy?

America has chosen capitalism and allows unions, that said "the market" doesn't have labor for pennies available

In reply to Ayenmol

here you go

In reply to Brerzerk

If you truly believe that nonsense you just posted, then i do not know what to tell you.

You think if given the opportunity to have the labor benefits of the US vs their current condition, that laborers in China Vietnam etc would choose their current playing field?

Please! Companies made a ton of money exploiting these Nations inferior labor markets! They pocketed that money rather than share it with the workers or consumers!

Give me a break.

Personally, in principle I don’t think what Trump doing is wrong - you do me, I do you, and let the chip falls where it may!

Americans will have to pay the higher prices but the capitalist principles hold in this new Trump era!

In reply to XDFIX

you know, buddy, you post some good shoite

do you know one of the major causes of the great depression?

In reply to XDFIX

What is the role of government. in a capitalist system?

The contradictory thing about these tariffs is, big business controls what happens with American trade imbalance, they are the ones who go and open factories in overseas countries in order to exploit cheaper labour. That cheaper labour keeps down cost of living in the USA and big business make bigger profits because of the currency difference. So, it looks like Americans has created its own trade imbalance because few countries can afford to import American made products because they are usually high-tech products

In reply to Brerzerk

That's the problem....you all want the US to be the Savior of the World....is the World, particularly the Chinese, who are the biggest trade deficit holder with the US, a capitalist system?

Are you people that dense and unable to argue fairly?

In reply to sudden

In reply to Ayenmol

it is not the world that wants US to be a saviour. it is the US that has billed itself as such.

after the second european civil war or the so called world war 2 the US was the only country left standing. it was never invaded or bombed. europe and japan were wrecked, china still in a kind of feudal system and not much of a power ,and russia even tho it was a major part of the allied forces was also in a bad state.

coming out of ashes was an industralised US and it convinced the Europeans that it would help rebuild it but that they should have no really big standing army and the US would protect them.

the US become the greatest power in the world. it became an Empire. its goods were shipped all over the earth and many tried to copy its system of govt. its dollar became the world standard against which all currency will be compared and the currency in which goods would be traded.

from 1945 til now.

it is now a dying empire.

at the end of all dying empires the rich realise that the end is nigh and make a last ditch effort to grab what they can. simply put that is what we are experiencing now.

..........Formula for Tariffs

The Trump administration used a simple formula: It took each country’s trade deficit with the US, divided it by the value of that country’s exports to the US – and then divided this figure by half, in a gesture of “kindness.”Let’s take this step-by-step, using official US data and the example of Vietnam, which President Donald Trump claimed imposed a 90% tariff on US goods and therefore would get a 46% “reciprocal” tariff of its own.

In 2024, Vietnam, a massive and growing global manufacturing hub, sold $136.6 billion worth of goods to the US.Because Americans want to buy things like Nike shoes a lot more than Vietnamese want to buy things like Ford cars, the US sold a lot less to Vietnam. Vietnam bought just $13.1 billion of goods from the US that same year.
Subtracting $13.1 billion from $136.6 billion gives Vietnam a trade surplus of $123.5 billion with the US. But one man’s trade surplus is another man’s trade deficit – which Trump has made clear he finds unpalatable, akin to being “ripped off.”

Dividing the $123.5 billion by $136.6 billion (the value of Vietnam’s exports to the US) gives 0.90 – or, in percentage terms, 90%. In a supposed act of “kindness,” Trump nearly halved this, meaning Vietnam will “only” now face a tariff of 46%.

In reply to JOJO
you may be right

In reply to sudden

Ayen is not only contradicting himself but in the end actually unwittingly supporting points he earlier opposed. Irony is he's calling some of us "fool-fool" (dense)

In reply to sudden

So the US has billed itself as such and now the elected leader is changing that.....so?

The rest of your post is idealistic drivel....

In reply to Brerzerk

for years the US exported its goods and service to the rest of the world

wasnt there a trading imbalance then?

Anyway. I have said enough on this...as usual, we will wait and see.

Then you all will tell me everyone was saying the same things i was.

Same o. Same o

stocks - Apparel, footwear, specialty retail, consumer products etc

Down bigly.

Manufactured in shitehole countries you see. Tariff like dat

In reply to sudden

In reply to sudden

Look at what this Brit thinks of #47 and his Tariff-mania.

'When empires fall': British columnist aghast at 'single stupidest thing' Trump has done

In reply to Ayenmol

In reply to SnoopDog

In reply to SnoopDog
Dem cyan answer

In reply to Ayenmol

In reply to JOJO


LOL - meanwhile

Jeremy Siegel The Wharton School university of Pennsylvania on
Bloomberg said this is the worst economic policy decision in over a hundred years, comparable to the
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act with zero congressional input is a complete disaster.

Dan Rather speaks the truth

Another nugget from a well-known economist on twitter

In reply to JOJO

Man you have me laughing all day with those nuggets

In reply to JOJO
Too good

In reply to SnoopDog

​Snoopy, your question asked above is complex, it examines how economic policy, currency valuation, and global trade dynamics interact.
My explanation and the theory behind such a strategy—and some of its inherent contradictions.

The Theory Trump Advocates
Donald Trump's trade policy during his presidency emphasized reducing trade deficits by prioritizing domestic manufacturing. By implementing policies like import duties, renegotiating trade agreements (such as NAFTA to USMCA), and providing incentives for domestic manufacturing, his administration seeks to accomplish this. The underlying goal was to encourage companies to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and reduce reliance on foreign goods.

The idea was that by producing more goods domestically, the U.S. could reduce its trade imbalances, particularly with countries like China, which has historically maintained a trade surplus with the U.S.

The Contradiction with a Strong Dollar

Here’s where the problem arises. The U.S. dollar, as the world's reserve currency, tends to remain strong because of global demand for dollars in trade, investment, and as a safe-haven asset. A strong dollar reduces the competitiveness of U.S.-made goods on the international market by making them more expensive for other nations to buy. This creates a fundamental tension in the strategy:

Strength of the Dollar: If the U.S. dollar remains high in value, U.S. exports become pricier for foreign buyers. Countries searching for less expensive options are more likely to purchase goods from countries with weaker currencies and more reasonably priced goods, such as China or Mexico.

Trade Deficits: A strong dollar naturally makes it harder to reduce trade deficits because it encourages imports (foreign goods are cheaper for Americans to buy) while discouraging exports (U.S. goods become too expensive for other countries).

How Could This Work in Theory?

For Trump’s strategy to succeed, a few things would need to happen simultaneously:

Protectionism: Trump sought to increase the cost of foreign goods for American consumers by enacting tariffs on imports, which would compel them to buy domestically made goods instead. Regardless of currency value, this generates a fictitious demand for domestically produced goods.

Domestic Consumption Focus: If the U.S. relies less on exports and focuses on fulfilling domestic demand, then the strong dollar matters less. The idea would be to create a self-sufficient economy where Americans buy primarily U.S.-made goods, reducing reliance on cheaper foreign imports.

Selective Export Markets: Certain industries, like high-tech or luxury goods, are less sensitive to price. The U.S. could focus on exporting high-value products where the strong dollar has less impact because buyers are willing to pay a premium (e.g., Boeing airplanes, advanced technology, pharmaceuticals).

Challenges to the Theory being a unique module in Economics

Global Trade Realities: Forcing domestic manufacturing does not guarantee competitiveness. Labour costs in the U.S. are significantly higher than in many developing countries, and without advanced automation or subsidies, U.S.-made goods remain expensive.

Retaliatory Tariffs: The market for American exports was further diminished when other nations could (and did) impose their own tariffs in retaliation on American goods.

High Dollar Dependency: The U.S. benefits from a high dollar because it makes borrowing cheaper and sustains its role as the global reserve currency. This, however, runs counter to the objective of increasing the competitiveness of American goods abroad. Weakening the dollar intentionally would undermine global confidence in the currency.

Global Supply Chains: Modern manufacturing often depends on international supply chains. Forcing everything to be made domestically could disrupt industries reliant on cheaper foreign inputs, increasing costs for American companies and consumers.

Why Would Other Countries Buy U.S. Goods?

The key here is that it’s not just about price. U.S. goods tend to be competitive in areas where quality, innovation, and brand value outweigh cost concerns. For example:

Advanced technology (e.g., semiconductors, AI tools)
Pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Aerospace and defense products
High-end consumer goods (e.g., Apple products, luxury brands)

However, for more price-sensitive industries like textiles, consumer electronics, or general manufacturing, other countries would be less inclined to buy U.S.-made goods with a strong dollar. Trump’s plan hinges on the idea of reshaping the U.S. economy to focus on self-reliance and domestic demand while selectively targeting export markets for high-value goods.
However, the inherent contradiction between promoting domestic manufacturing and maintaining a strong dollar makes it difficult to achieve both goals simultaneously. In reality, the strategy would likely require either tolerating a weaker dollar (to boost exports) or accepting that the trade deficit might persist due to the structural advantages of cheaper foreign goods.

This delicate balancing act is much easier to imagine than to execute in practice.

My explanation... Sarge

Note: No one in Trump's cabinet is intelligent enough to think of such a risky theory; where did this come from???
Honestly, it’s hard to see this theory working fully in practice, at least not without significant trade-offs that might undermine the very goals it’s trying to achieve.

In reply to sgtdjones

Risky but not foolhardy!

Trump is playing his cards, to get to his objective of boosting the American economy - the manufacturing sector in particular!

I like disruption!

Time will tell how it all pans out!

Now look for the tax cut and lowering of interest rates!

In reply to XDFIX

Have you read history? This foolishness the last time led to the Great Depression and to World War Two. EVERYTHING the US imports will now be more expensive and they have NEITHER the manufacturing capacity nor the necessary skills nor education levels to do manufacturing at home. Not to mention that plants take years to come online. In stronger manufacturing domestic markets which retaliate it means the US will export SIGNIFICANTLY less leading to a depreciation of the US dollar. Countries are likely to look to re-orient trade AWAY from the US and start moving toward removing the dollar as the currency of international trade. Trump is AN IDIOT. He is NOT playing chess. He is STUPID and doesn't understand how economies work. Your own assessment explains a LOT about you and HOW you think and it is NOT sensibly.

In reply to XDFIX

NO. Trump is Taking Americans low IQ and memory lapses away from this disaster ....
Tax cuts did nothing for the US economy; corporations bought back their shares.
Trump cannot lower interest rates.

He will bomb the Iranian mountains.His way to ease the confused Americans

When their economy collapses, redneck Americans will celebrate by beating their chests. WE bombed Iran...

What a sad bunch...

In reply to michaelmax

Bro, we are nowhere near the Great Depression! The electorate voted for Trump, so what does that make them? I have no dog in this fight!

I would argue that this is a temporary measure by Trump to achieve his long-term objectives - nothing more, nothing less!

In reply to sgtdjones

I agree with you on the Iran, take!

In reply to XDFIX

In reply to JahJah

In reply to michaelmax
Leff dem

As di Trinis would seh 34% in a dem pweffen.

Heartland merica gwine feel that 34% China tariff.
Soybean farmers et al

water off a duck's back

heartland US understand you have to take one for the team

In reply to sudden

In reply to JOJO

Does the World Trade Organization still exist?

In reply to mikesiva

Penguin or de Joker?

In reply to Chrissy

Anything called World is America's.
NBA Winner- World Champions
Baseball Winner- World Series
Grid Iron Football winner- World champions
World Bank-
World Trade-

Trump- Most -----in World

In reply to hubert
Di sad truth

Another Tariffs dividend: Now Germany wants to be their own Gold-keepers.

Germany plans to bring back 1,200 tons of gold from US vaults: Why now?