#tariffs

#tariffs

Norfolk, Virginia based Mutant Inc. are stepping up their game to fill the new supply chain void created by tariffs. With departing Chinese suppliers no longer able to compete due to the reciprocal tariffs, Mutant Inc. is taking over supplying batteries and other energy solutions for clients old and new, which may include such entities as Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK), international telecom companies, major utilities, and others.

This year, the 24-hour deal blitz that is Black Friday will commence on November 28th, followed by a weeklong Cyber Monday sale that kicks off on December 1st. Many of the gadgets we've been eyeing are likely to receive steep discounts throughout both events, allowing you to save on laptops, OLED TVs, noise-crushing headphones, and everything in between. If you didn't get what you wanted during Amazon Prime Day or the retailer's most recent sales event, now's your chance.

For now, it's... not. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ( NYSEMKT: VOO) is actually looking pretty healthy so far, up 0.2% premarket. And why is that? Perhaps investors are thinking all these layoffs, caused by cheap AI replacing expensive workers, and allowing corporate profits to rise. Or investors could be encouraged by the way oral arguments went before the Supreme Court yesterday, with the Justices apparently doubtful of President Trump's ability to legally and unilaterally impose tariffs on imports without Congressional assent.

Bitcoin price has bounced back to over $103,000 today after plunging below $100,000 on Tuesday - its lowest level since June - as extreme fear gripped the market. The drop came amid heavy selling pressure, ETF outflows, and renewed macro uncertainty. Earlier this week, investors pulled nearly $1.8 billion from Bitcoin and other crypto ETFs, while crypto-linked stocks like Strategy and Coinbase also declined.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, battled Solicitor General D. John Sauer on Wednesday over the limits of executive power while hearing a case on the legality of Trump's sweeping tariffs. Sauer argued against lower court rulings that shot down Trump's use of emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to levy sweeping tariffs on foreign countries a power solely granted to Congress in the Constitution.

You know, Donald Trump once again being the two-by-four president where rather than just doing the thing in a moderate way, he just takes a two-by-four and just smacks everyone over the head with it. And that's kind of what's happening with tariffs and putting aside I mean the Supreme Court's going to rule how they rule. But Americans have decided. They think this is bad for them. And Trump is not backing down, frankly.

AI Summary Senate Democrats have introduced a bill to expand Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits by $200 per month for six months, aiming to provide economic relief amid persistently high inflation. The move follows the Oct. 24 announcement of an average cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2.8% in 2026 for the 53 million Americans who receive Social Security retirement benefits an increase of about $56 per month.

The executive order signed by Trump on 29 September applies 25% tariffs on wood imports, as well as derivative products such as upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets beginning 14 October. Imports of softwood timber and lumber will face a 10% tariff rate, while upholstered wooden products (including sofas and chairs) will incur a 25% duty. Kitchen cabinets and units, as well as parts used in manufacturing those products, will be subject to a 25% levy per order. Starting 1 January 2026, the US will raise the tariff for upholstered furniture to 30% while hiking the rate for kitchen cabinets, units and associated parts to 50%.

Coffee prices at U.S. grocery stores continued to climb September amid higher costs for green coffee due to self-imposed tariffs and other market forces. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3% from August and 3.0% from a year earlier. Food prices were up 0.2% on the month and 3.1% year over year. Within the grocery aisle, the "nonalcoholic beverages" category - which includes coffee - rose 0.7% on the month and 5.3% on the year.

It's a significant statement from anyone, let alone Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organization. She warned at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh that the global economy is in its choppiest waters since the 1930s, no small feat considering that decade saw the Great Depression and the outbreak of the Second World War - and the Great Recession of 2008 is still in living memory.