The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter. The Commerce Department reported that gross domestic product (GDP) decreased slightly, at an estimated annualized rate of 0.3% during the three-month period. This was the first negative reading in three years. Consumption, which accounts for two-thirds of the nation’s economic output, slowed considerably, as consumers started to show fatigue amid the burgeoning concerns about the Trump Administration’s tariff policy. The stockpiling of goods ahead of potential tariffs...

The U.S. economy is beginning to slow. A confluence of factors, including weakening consumer sentiment amid the ongoing global trade war; inflation still for the most part running above the Federal Reserve’s comfort level; and uncertainty about fiscal and monetary policies, exacerbated by President Trump bickering with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over the direction of interest rates, are hurting domestic output. These events have roiled the global equity and fixed-income markets, and pushed the...

The world is in the midst of a global trade war. This commenced with the Trump Administration implementing across-the-board 10% tariffs on 185 nations. President Trump also announced a series of reciprocal tariffs against those nations with the biggest trade advantages over the U.S., generally assumed to mean large surpluses. The implementation of the reciprocal levies—with the one exception being China—was sub- sequently delayed for 90 days, as the parties attempt to renegotiate trade deals...