How the U.S. Economy Has Defied Doomsday Predictions on Tariffs
When President Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, economists predicted surging inflation and raised the odds of a recession. Companies and consumers stockpiled to get ahead of price rises. Those worries now seem overblown.Inflation, while too high, is lower than forecasts. And the economy continues to grow despite the steepest tariffs in almost a century."I'm not sure they've mattered as much as people thought they would," said Kelly Kowalski, head of investment strategies at MassMutual.At the same time, the promised benefits of tariffs also largely haven't come to pass: Revenues from Trump's levies have been far lower than the Treasury Department predicted, and there are few signs of a domestic manufacturing boom.Logistics company GXO, which operates warehouses across the U.S., is noticing more demand for free-trade zones, said CEO Patrick Kelleher. Companies are also thinking harder about how many goods to import, to avoid paying tariffs on inventory that only ends up sitting