'Pandemic-level crises': Small businesses dependent on imports from China are feeling tariff pinch
Americans바카라 게임 웹사이트 confidence in the economy slumped for the fifth straight month to the lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as anxiety over the impact of tariffs takes a heavy toll.
Since the Trump administration hiked tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% earlier this month, small business owners who rely on those imports have grown increasingly desperate, watching their inventories shrink and costs soar.
In Alexandria, Virginia, Amy Rutherford, owner of Pippin Toy Co., says the uncertainty feels eerily familiar to the pandemic.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We are seeing pandemic-level crises right now,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Rutherford said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트The uncertainty is real. We don바카라 게임 웹사이트t know how to plan right now. Every day is new.바카라 게임 웹사이트
She바카라 게임 웹사이트s already facing gaps on her shelves. One of her best-selling toys 바카라 게임 웹사이트 a product called Zimbbos 바카라 게임 웹사이트 is out of stock with no clear timeline for its return.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We don바카라 게임 웹사이트t know when it바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to return, and again, we don바카라 게임 웹사이트t know what it바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to cost when it returns,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said.
The concerns are being echoed in corporate boardrooms. Executives at Home Depot, Target, and Walmart have reportedly raised alarm bells directly with the president, warning that new tariffs could snarl supply chains and drive up prices across the board.
President Trump said Tuesday that he personally called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after reports suggested the platform might start listing tariff-related costs next to product prices.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트He solved the problem very quickly바카라 게임 웹사이트 he did the right thing.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Amazon denied the report 바카라 게임 웹사이트 but not before the White House criticized the company publicly during its morning briefing.
Experts say the warnings of pandemic style shortages shouldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t be taken lightly.
바카라 게임 웹사이트That is quite possible,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Dr. Sunderesh Heragu, a professor at Oklahoma State University, when asked whether the country could see a return to COVID-style supply disruptions. 바카라 게임 웹사이트The extent, we do not know. Every day there seems to be a change in the type of policy there is.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Online retailers have already begun making adjustments as a result of tariffs. Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu are now tacking on new surcharges for U.S. shoppers. Meanwhile, many third-party sellers on Amazon are quietly raising prices.
Back in Virginia, Rutherford is urging her customers to act early as uncertainty grows ahead of the holiday season.
바카라 게임 웹사이트You don바카라 게임 웹사이트t have to buy Christmas now. But if you see it, buy it when you see it,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Because you don바카라 게임 웹사이트t know what that cost is going to be later.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The economic effects could become clearer soon: new reports on GDP and consumer spending are expected Wednesday, followed by the April jobs report on Friday.
When pressed about any progress on trade negotiations, White House officials pointed to India as the closest to a breakthrough.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I think that we are very close on India,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I could see the contours of a deal with the Republic of Korea coming together, and then we've had substantial talks with the Japanese.바카라 게임 웹사이트
So far, no formal trade agreements have been announced.