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Well inflation is on the decline. Factually. So I’d say we’re on the right path. Americans can survive by either abstaining from or spending a little more on anker products while posturing against China who has been ripping us off since forever.
Egg prices? Cheaper. Gas cheaper. Interest rates, heading down. Companies have invested hundreds and hundreds of billions in our future, more in two months than bidens entire term. The stock market will rebound. It always does. It’s volatile and reacting to china tarrifs. This was expected. This is something every president knew needed to be done, but would never be able to absorb the blow like Trump. The only thing that makes life terrible right now is the far left and legacy/social media having absolute meltdowns about everything everyday. Aside from that, things are looking up. Some of this has to happen. China has to posture to show its people it’s not weak, but we are their core consumer base. They need us. People seem to think they don’t, but they do.

Inflation is on the decline over what time period? It’s hard to believe it’s really on the decline anymore when you’ve just had a 10% sales tax applied to every import excluding Russian caviar.
 
I've bought some good braided cords, powerbank and recently chargers (wirefree) to iPhone from the INUI brand. No complains at all - from China originally, but HQ seems to be in Dubai now.
I stay out of the politics around my cords and other tech though. None is not much better then the others I think, from my neutral Swedish perspective 😉
 
Inflation is on the decline over what time period? It’s hard to believe it’s really on the decline anymore when you’ve just had a 10% sales tax applied to every import excluding Russian caviar.
It’s also hard to believe we’re on a floating rock blasting through infinity at thousands of miles per hour. Try looking it up. I’m not an official source.
 
Well inflation is on the decline. Factually. So I’d say we’re on the right path. Americans can survive by either abstaining from or spending a little more on anker products while posturing against China who has been ripping us off since forever.
Egg prices? Cheaper. Gas cheaper. Interest rates, heading down. Companies have invested hundreds and hundreds of billions in our future, more in two months than bidens entire term. The stock market will rebound. It always does. It’s volatile and reacting to china tarrifs. This was expected. This is something every president knew needed to be done, but would never be able to absorb the blow like Trump. The only thing that makes life terrible right now is the far left and legacy/social media having absolute meltdowns about everything everyday. Aside from that, things are looking up. Some of this has to happen. China has to posture to show its people it’s not weak, but we are their core consumer base. They need us. People seem to think they don’t, but they do.
Inflation was on the decline. Prices across the board are already going up from tariffs. Egg prices set a record high until a couple of weeks ago. Bond rates took a hard turn up because of these idiotic tariffs, and ended up forcing Trump to back off. They continued to go up on Friday.

Why do you think it's China who is ripping off America? America has enjoyed the most prosperity and best economy in the world for decades. The US pushed off low margin manufacturing to China, which is a great strategic move. It makes China and the US co-dependent, and lets the US gain the most benefit from the relationship. The US in turn makes and exports high margin items like finished products, services, software, etc...

The problem for the US is not external or immigrants or whatever other boogie man Trump/GOP makes up, it's that much of the US prosperity has been concentrated in the super rich. Tax policy, universal healthcare, free education, UBI is how you help Americans who have missed out on the prosperity, not pretending to bring back a crappy job making cheap t-shirts. It should be insulting to workers when they talk about bringing back a job to screw in tiny screws (not that it will ever happen anyway).

Finally, things are definitely not looking up. We have people dying of measles, funding pulled from foundational institutions like public libraries, and consumer sentiment hit its lowest levels since the 1950s.
 
Saw an interesting video from a Chinese guy.
It puts a lot of things in perspective.

If a Chinese company is paid $10 for a pair of Nike shoes and they retail for $150, then the brand (and all those working and selling the brand) make $140.

So putting a 145% tariff on these products will cut sales.
The Chinese manufacturer gets hurt $10, the rest get hurt $140.

Now the Chinese manufacturer has all the skills and ability to make these brand name items.

What's to stop them selling them online directly to customer for $20?
And copping the 145% tariff making the import price $45.
That's still $105 cheaper for the buyer and double the amount the manufacturer originally made.

The only ones not making anything are the middlemen.
The ones who invest in design and marketing and distribution and massive markup profits.

See the problem of tariffs now?
 
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Inflation was on the decline. Prices across the board are already going up from tariffs. Egg prices set a record high until a couple of weeks ago. Bond rates took a hard turn up because of these idiotic tariffs, and ended up forcing Trump to back off. They continued to go up on Friday.

Why do you think it's China who is ripping off America? America has enjoyed the most prosperity and best economy in the world for decades. The US pushed off low margin manufacturing to China, which is a great strategic move. It makes China and the US co-dependent, and lets the US gain the most benefit from the relationship. The US in turn makes and exports high margin items like finished products, services, software, etc...

The problem for the US is not external or immigrants or whatever other boogie man Trump/GOP makes up, it's that much of the US prosperity has been concentrated in the super rich. Tax policy, universal healthcare, free education, UBI is how you help Americans who have missed out on the prosperity, not pretending to bring back a crappy job making cheap t-shirts. It should be insulting to workers when they talk about bringing back a job to screw in tiny screws (not that it will ever happen anyway).

Finally, things are definitely not looking up. We have people dying of measles, funding pulled from foundational institutions like public libraries, and consumer sentiment hit its lowest levels since the 1950s.
Anyone betting tariffs will be excluded from inflation calculations? :)

And you have a woman running education who pronounces AI as A One... geez.
It's looking like last days from the outside...
 
Luckily, due to poor impulse control, I bought enough Anker chargers etc. to last me a good 5 years.
 
Wait until you need a washing machine or a TV or refrigerator etc.
TVs start at such a low price, it is only the very poor who will be affected. Everyone else can just drop down a price tier. If you really ‘need’ the absolute best of the best, I’m guessing the extra cost won’t be a big concern. I hope the government does something useful with all this money they’ll be taking from us. I don’t have such high hopes on that front though.
 
It's only Friday, so are you saying that all the of the stock that was already in the US, or in a port, or on a cargo ship prior to the tariff placement has already been sold? Or are they or Amazon just adjusting the price early?
Most likely their ERP calculates average landed cost for each item, using FIFO (first in, first out), and they set the sales price based on that. They don’t first sell out stock without tariff at the old price, then put on 145% when that is sold out. They gradually increase selling price as the average cost of the stock increases. So yes, you could say that they are adjusting early, but it will keep going up. If you need electronics this year, buy now (due to supply and demand, US made products will go up as well, when the stock of Chinese made products without tariff runs out).

Simplified example:

Stock: 1000 units at 100 USD.
Purchase: 100 units at 250 USD.
Stock value: ((1000*100)+(100*250))/1100=113.63 USD.

Sell 100 units, stock now back to 1000

Stock value: ((900*100)+(100*250))/1000=115 USD.

Purchase 100 more at 250, stock now 1100

Stock value: ((900*100)+(200*250))/1100=127.27 USD.

And so on, until you reach 250. Or until you stop purchasing because you’re no longer selling anything.

Feel free to copy/paste that example, I think we will need to explain this every time someone is arguing that the price increases seem to be lower that the tariffs.
 
It’s also hard to believe we’re on a floating rock blasting through infinity at thousands of miles per hour. Try looking it up. I’m not an official source.

My point being I don’t believe there’s any data on inflation to say it’s falling. Common sense would say with the events of the last week it won’t be.
You can make all the clever quips you want I guess. Well until the administration decides they don’t like your clever quips.
 
Anyone betting tariffs will be excluded from inflation calculations? :)
I’m not even sure how you would do that, but it’s not how inflation works.

I will believe that they will find some other BS number to show how successful they are, like the famous tariff board. It’s clear that the administration is based on deception, not facts.
 
it would be ok if it's a 10% across the board. Tell all the countries sorry there's nothing personal, and making it a law to use that tariff income to cultivate manufacturing in the US. Democrats would be happy to vote for that.

This "you all owe us something, now come kiss Trump's ass" tariff is just going to piss everybody off.
If by “ok” you mean that it is ok to let the average American pay for making the rich richer, then yes.
 
It will get a lot worse at the current pace. Anker raising their prices is the least of worries. Smart money is moving out from the US at the moment. With the current political discourse people need to experience another major recession to appreciate again what free trade has given us. I doubt Trump can sustain this going into the midterms, but the damage has been done regardless.

Also with the advent of AI and robotics, even in the best case of a reshoring of manufaturing it is not going to create the same type of jobs. The real question is how should society distribute it's wealth. The US as a whole is not poorer by any metric. Its just that now more money is concentrated at the top.
 
If we believe that free trade has somehow screwed the American worker and/or the American manufacturing base, a '0% tariff on both sides' deal is not what you're aiming. This would likely result in even more free trade than we already have, making it easier to manufacture abroad and import more stuff. If a deal like this is someone's definition of "fair trade", then getting more manufacturing back to the USA was never their goal.

I've heard a few people say that if these tariffs result in the USA getting better trade deals, then that's a win. I would think that a better trade deal means an increase in trade for both sides, meaning freer trade. It seems absurd to me that such an extremely disruptive, risky and scorched earth approach was all so that the USA can have a few new trade deal to get freer trade.

Trump was never aiming for better trade deal or bring manufacturing back to United States, the soul purpose of all these crap is money.

I don't know how many people know Mar-a Lago accord or remarks from Steven Miran. It is very interesting to read.


Ultimately, this is what Trump administration is aiming for with all these trade talk, and I am quoting from Steven Miran

What forms can that burden sharing take? There are many options, here are a few ideas:

  • First, other countries can accept tariffs on their exports to the United States without retaliation, providing revenue to the U.S. Treasury to finance public goods provision. Critically, retaliation will exacerbate rather than improve the distribution of burdens and make it even more difficult for us to finance global public goods.
  • Second, they can stop unfair and harmful trading practices by opening their markets and buying more from America;
  • Third, they can boost defense spending and procurement from the U.S., buying more U.S.-made goods, and taking strain off our servicemembers and creating jobs here;
  • Fourth, they can invest in and install factories in America. They won’t face tariffs if they make their stuff in this country;
  • Fifth, they could simply write checks to Treasury that help us finance global public goods.
Please tell me, if any country would agree such condition?

Does anyone here know, that there are about 3 trillion worth of short term US treasury is maturing this year? Who is going to provide funding to replacing these three trillion worth of short term debt? Printing more money or taking from China?
 
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Where do the parts come from? U.S. companies that aren't end-to-end manufacturing here will also likely have to deal with price increases.
Smaller increases on “raw” or unfinished goods. Most companies source globally for parts but the main impacts are on finished goods.
 
Fourth, they can invest in and install factories in America. They won’t face tariffs if they make their stuff in this country;
Just be prepared when the factories open, it won’t be full of blue collar workers, it’ll be full of robots doing the manufacturing. The day of the factory blue collar worker are long gone.
 
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It’s normal to increment the increases over a few months so Americans don’t cry when the 145% shipment arrives and hits 3-6 months later.
Correct it’s called cost averaging. Be prepared for many manufacturers to pause shipments from china as well because of the volatility right now. Supply chain will be pretty crazy come June if this isn’t figured out.
 
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Correct it’s called cost averaging. Be prepared for many manufacturers to pause shipments form china as well because of the volatility right now. Supply chain will be pretty crazy come June if this isn’t figured out.
What will happen short term is, supply and demand will make prices shoot up, regardless of where it was made or if it was already in stock. But this will create little revenue to the government, because the money ends up in the pockets of the company owners. The big loser is the consumer, who will have to pay the higher prices. So again: A money shift from the poor/average to the rich.
 
So be it. Cheap stuff from China is made cheaply because it's either garbage or is done by utilizing near or actual slave labor. These sorts of things will work out and eventually find balance and I'm glad to pay more if it means we can be rid of the drop shippers, knock offs, and other garbage.
You're glad paying more? I have the feeling you're in for a treat then 😂😂
 
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Just be prepared when the factories open, it won’t be full of blue collar workers, it’ll be full of robots doing the manufacturing. The day of the factory blue collar worker are long gone.
China is already way ahead of US in automated manufacturing. If something is manufactured by hand in China, it is because it is not feasible (yet?) to do it by robot.

Also, for all the talk about Apple (which is fair, this is an Apple forum…), robot manufacturing requires a certain scale, because of the upstart costs. There are hundreds of thousands of low volume products where this is not feasible, and manufacturing those in US will increase cost more than on the high volume products. If you rely on any kind of niche product that is not already manufactured in US, you are screwed.
 
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Just be prepared when the factories open, it won’t be full of blue collar workers, it’ll be full of robots doing the manufacturing. The day of the factory blue collar worker are long gone.

Even this won’t happen. The white house doesn’t have any logic and they fully aware manufacturing is not coming back. It is their talking points to MAGA.
 
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