Is there yet any measurable effect of this year's tariffs?

Great Debates
1

It is some 5.5 months since Trump announced his tariffs, and they have changed countless times since then. I’ve consistently heard folk proclaiming the disaster that would result in terms of higher prices, businesses closing, inflation, etc. But I’m not clear what clear negative effects have occurred yet. I just recently heard a bit on NPR where they were talking about the difficulties one manufacturer faced due to uncertainty. I don’t buy a lot, but I’m not aware of prices having gone through the roof. And the stock market seems to be booming. (In fact, my impression is that the money-folk LOVE the volatility.)

So, is it too early to see the negative effects? Or is a reason they are not as negative as many have suggested? On the flip side, is there a positive effect?

Apologies if this duplicates an ongoing thread, but I was not readily able to find such a thread.

2

Ford posts first quarterly loss in 2 years after $800 million tariff hit

Basically wiped out Ford’s profits, and then some.

https://thehill.com/business/5431352-ford-posts-first-quarterly-loss-in-two-years-after-800-million-tariff-hit/

3

I believe it’s too early to see any effects, as the tariffs only recently took effect for most countries. Note that this applies only to new international deliveries, and a significant amount of per-tariff stock remains available. My concern is that retailers may take advantage of this and raise prices now, even before they see any increase in their costs. It’s the perfect excuse for them to do so.

4

Thanks. That is the sort of thing I was looking for. The article seems a tad unclear, tho. The headline mentions an $800 tariff hit, but the article states only:

The Dearborn, Mich., company reported a net loss of $36 million, stemming from “special charges related to a field service action and expenses related to a previously announced cancellation of an electric vehicle program.”

Costs related to tariffs will run the company about $2 billion in annual earnings.

So, if their overall loss was only $36 million, why do they refer to some vague (to me) “special charges” rather than the $800 million from tariffs?

Moreover, Ford stock price was $10.15 on 4/2, and $11.97 today.

5

Because if they tell the truth, they will piss off Donald Trump.