I fear the coming US recession will be far worse than predicted and when the US sneezes, the world catches a cold.

US retailers are caught in a bind with the Chinese tariffs. Toasters, microwaves , laptops etc etc will double in price if the tariffs go ahead. Current stocks will run out soon and already future orders from China are drying up.

There are frightening statistics being bandied about..with orders slowing the entire US supply train is in real trouble with predicted job losses estimated at 300,000 in container freight shipping, dock workers, truck drivers etc.

UPS the giant US delivery service who mainly deliver Amazon goods are laying off 30,000. Which means Amazon is in trouble with orders slowing down. Bezos caved into Trump over his decision to list the tariff tax on invoices. Coward.

I've never used TEMU but apparently 150 million Americans do. There are endless reports their goods are now doubling in price as the tariffs are added on.

There's a double wammy here for the giant US retailers. Walmart, Lowes, Costco etc etc who own their factories in China and Asia where they moved for cheap labour. So they will lose out in US sales & also profits from their Asian factories.

China has gone elsewhere for farm produce, mainly Brasil so US farmers are screaming blue murder (but still back Trump).
They are losing their cheap labour as undocumented workers aren't turning up out of fear of being deported.

Boeing is in real trouble as 60% of a plane's parts are imported while China has and it's now established it's own jet industry and cancelled orders for over 5000 jets from Boeing.

To be fair the US manufacturing, or lack of it, is not Trumps fault. Every US president has allowed the giant US corps to move off shore and rewarded them with tax cuts rather than encourage them to remain in the US.

But Trump is fibbing claiming that China is negotiating. You get no-where trying to strong arm China and he ludicrously claims that he has 200 world deals happening (apart from there only being 195 countries)but he can't name one country. Not even the Penguin Island.

While Trump has rewarded Apple with no tariffs as they are investing $Billions in a US factory, their US made products will double in price & it will take years anyway to take shape.

There is no sign that manufacturing will return to the US as Trump claims.The damage will be immense in the mean time.

It's ironic that Capitalist US corporations have used Communist countries to build their wealth while Communist Asian countries like China and Vietnam, always practical people, have used elements of Capitalism to build their industrial strength.

China meanwhile is forging ahead while the BRICs alliance countries are getting stronger. The China India alliance will be the most powerful manufacturing bloc in the world within 5 years.

My Dad was right. He always said we need to become China's best pal.

The UK will be the first to be in a recession before the Yankee.

Hedda - excellent post.