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Matthew Lynn

The markets have stopped listening to Donald Trump

Over the last 24 hours, President Trump has come up with a bewildering series of “solutions” to the global oil crisis triggered by his war with Iran. He might seize all of the country’s oil wells. He may send the marines in to capture its main exporting hub, Kharg Island. He has threatened to bomb the country back to the Stone Age if it doesn’t re-open the Straits of Hormuz, while at the same time – apparently – he is very close to a “fantastic deal” that will settle the entire conflict. But will these threats work? Can Trump keep a lid on the unfolding crisis? Crucially, the markets are

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Ryan Shorthouse

Cutting Britain’s giant welfare bill would be an act of kindness

Does having money really matter that much? There are those, usually with quite a bit of it, who want us to care less about materialism. But, unequivocally, money really does matter – not because of any status it supposedly brings, but for the freedom it buys: freedom to choose how we live and how we look after others. Considering this, it seems that the deep disillusionment with mainstream politicians in recent years stems from a protracted and ongoing period of stagnant living standards over which they have presided. But the truth is that the average person has not got poorer since the global financial crisis. They have got a little

Monday

Ross Clark

Are you a winner or a loser in Trump’s trade war?

China ’s imposition today of tariffs on 128 imports from the US was inevitable – and is no doubt exactly the reaction that Donald Trump wants, giving him the excuse to announce yet more tariffs in addition to those on steel and aluminium imports which he has already imposed.  After all he did say, even … Read more

Friday

Cockburn

Kudlow vs. Navarro? The Race To Replace ‘Globalist Gary’

Cockburn has learned that Lawrence Kudlow, the CNBC star, former Reagan official and financier, is a major candidate to replace Gary Cohn as Donald Trump’s top economic advisor, according to a source familiar with the matter. Other candidates include the man who forced Cohn’s departure: the tariff-loving Peter Navarro. Also in contention are Mick Mulvaney, … Read more

Friday

Daniel McCarthy

Why Trump’s ‘trade war’ makes strategic sense

Has Donald Trump sparked off a trade war? His plans for a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum have shocked friend and foe alike. China is outraged; so are Canada, Japan, and South Korea—allies that in fact export more steel to the U.S. than China does. They stand to … Read more

Freddy Gray

1,2,3,4 — Trump declares a trade war

‘Whatever complicates the world more — I do,’ Donald Trump once said. As President, that still seems to be his mantra. Everybody knows that he feels America has been ripped off for decades when it comes to global trade — and that he intends address imbalances that hurt his country wherever he can. But his … Read more