#trade-policy

#trade-policy

A tariff is a tax paid by consumers, and if there's one thing the past four years have taught us, it's that the public will not forgive a politician who presides over a period of rising prices, no matter what the cause. Luckily for the political fortunes of the world's leaders, there is a better way to respond to tariffs. Tit-for-tat tariffs are a 19th-century tactic, and we live in a 21st-century world

The Notice is the result of an investigation into China's semiconductor industry that the Biden administration commenced in December 2024, and which focused on "foundational semiconductors (also known as legacy or mature node semiconductors), including to the extent that they are incorporated as components into downstream products for critical industries like defense, automotive, medical devices, aerospace, telecommunications, and power generation and the electrical grid."

Around the world, CBAM has faced strong criticism. India and China describe it as "green protectionism," arguing that it puts unfair pressure on developing economies. At the same time, the EU has not yet created dedicated funding to help exporters in lower-income countries adapt. Without this support, the mechanism may not achieve the desired results. What about consumers? Although CBAM is mainly aimed at industry, its ripple effects will reach consumers in the EU.

Federal data belatedly released Tuesday shows that the US unemployment rate rose to the highest level in four years last month as President Donald Trump's administration continues its assault on the government's workforce and American corporations lay off workers at a level not seen in decades.

I began the year with a blunt reality check: leadership today is forged in public, under pressure, and in real time. With Donald Trump already installed as US president for his second term, markets have moved faster than at any point in my career, reacting not to speculation but to executive action, rhetoric, and resolve. The first lesson this year has burned itself into my thinking: certainty beats comfort.

Donald Trump has cleared the way for Nvidia to begin selling its powerful AI computer chips to China, marking a win for the chip maker and its CEO Jensen Huang, who has spent months lobbying the White House to open up sales in the country. Before Monday's announcement, the US had prohibited sales of Nvidia's most advanced chips to China over national security concerns.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted this week that there are no remaining obstacles to signing the EU-Mercosur trade agreement next month after more than two decades of negotiations. Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, Lula said the deal would represent "possibly the largest agreement" in global trade, citing both blocs' nearly 722 million population and $22 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP).

N early seven months after an election that returned a minority Parliament and a government led by the Liberal Party with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the helm, Canadians would be forgiven for asking what they're meant to be doing with their elbows. During the election, the Liberals ran on elbows-up nationalism, striking a defiant posture in the face of tariff and sovereignty threats from United States president Donald Trump. Carney never promised to solve

These are trying times for corporations. The marketplace is rife with unpredictability, especially when it comes to economic and trade policy. The 2025 World Economic Forum's Chief Economists Outlook report concluded that "uncertainty has become a defining feature of the global economic landscape," with 82% of chief economists gauging uncertainty as "very high." This year, the Economic Policy Uncertainty Index, which tracks data from around the world, spiked to its highest level in three decades.

The consolidated cases, Learning Resources v. Trump and Trump v. VOS Selections, challenge Trump's claim that he has the power to issue tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, which permits the president to regulate transactions involving any property in which any foreign country or national thereof has any interest, in order to deal with an unusual and extraordinary threat.

Thanks to today's digital economy, small business owners can reach customers worldwide with a click. E-commerce sales are expected to top $6.42 trillion this year, yet future growth depends on stable, pro-growth trade policies. Tariffs can help when targeted, but the broad, unpredictable tariffs of this year have hurt small businesses like mine - forcing delays, unstable supply chains and price increases for loyal customers. Constant policy shifts create uncertainty that stifles investment and innovation.