The U.S. is back at it again with import tariffs.

It looks like significant, permanent tariffs are now likely for steel and aluminum in particular.

American steel companies are happy about this because foreign steel will now be more expensive, guaranteeing their sales. The U.S. imports 70% of the steel it uses. American steel companies can't compete with foreign steel producers, so these import tariffs are their salvation.

The result is that American products will become more expensive because steel, as a raw material, is more expensive in the U.S. and will remain so due to import duties.

So, initially, this is unfavorable for foreign steel companies, but in the second instance, American products will become more expensive. Just look at cars.

German cars are currently more expensive. But if American cars become more expensive due to the higher cost of steel in the U.S., German cars will become relatively cheaper. The only thing German car manufacturers need to do is survive the difficult interim period. Of course, the American government could also impose a tariff on imported cars. In that case, driving a car in the U.S. would become even more expensive overall. That's quite a big deal for a country where everything is done by car.

Regardless, American cars will become less attractive for Europe and the rest of the world since they'll be more expensive. This means German and European cars will face less competition from American cars elsewhere. The question then becomes how they'll fare against Chinese cars.

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Protectionism has never worked in the United States, never will.

At least I can "stock up" when the market tumbles due to the coming economic downturn. Then recoup when some semblence of sanity returns to D.C.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Quoting Rug Rat to All <=-

At least I can "stock up" when the market tumbles due to the coming economic downturn. Then recoup when some semblence of sanity returns
to D.C.

And a soothsayer also?

Haven't seen the decline as yet. So buy as much as you can afford, then
you'll win with the rest of us!

... Cats remind us that not everything in Nature has purpose.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
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On Fri 4-Jul-2025 11:24a, Don Vally@1:135/363.0 said to Brent Hendricks:

Quoting Rug Rat to All <=-

At least I can "stock up" when the market tumbles due to the coming economic downturn. Then recoup when some semblence of sanity returns to D.C.

And a soothsayer also?

Soothsayer? No, I just trust REAL economists more than I trust someone who has managed to bankrupt 4 casinos...

If you would stop watching Fox News, and running around your house in your underwear yapping, "We're winning We're winning!" You would know that the US is already in an economic retraction, the first GDP decline in 3 years.

Since you are unable to see outside the rhetoric and propaganda, I am going to leave this now. No use sharing facts, when all someone sees is the lies.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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Quoting Brent Hendricks to Don Vally <=-

On Fri 4-Jul-2025 11:24a, Don Vally@1:135/363.0 said to Brent
Hendricks: DV> -=> Quoting Rug Rat to All <=-

Since you are unable to see outside the rhetoric and propaganda, I am going to leave this now. No use sharing facts, when all someone sees
is the lies.

Not really funny, but I feel the same way about you and your blinders. See
we do agree on something, I think you're wrong also...

That's what it's all about isn't it.

Have a great day!


... Open mouth, insert foot, echo internationally.

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In the US, 52% of the population supported import tariffs when Trump took office.

That's now only 40%. They're slowly beginning to realize that Trump misrepresented the role of import tariffs.

But 40% still think it's a good idea. How blind do you have to be economically to still fail to see that the import tariffs Trump is implementing aren't working?

It doesn't help that someone like Scott Bessent, who should know better, shamelessly spouts nonsense just to avoid offending Trump.

Apparently, things have to get much worse in the US before people realize that the economic underpinnings of American society are being sawed off by Trump and his cronies.

Is it purely for the self-enrichment of Trump and other billionaires like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and George Soros, or is it at Putin's behest?

How much worse could an agent of Putin as US president make things without outing himself too openly as an agent of Putin?

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