Governments and businesses grapple with unpredictability of US trade policypublished at 13:17 British Summer Time
David Waddell
Business reporter
There is no rest for governments or businesses trying to chart a path through the choppy waters of global trade.
Despite a 90-day pause in enhanced tariffs on many countries, the remaining tariffs are real and impactful. But the uncertainty brings its own perils.
Ben Farrell is the CEO of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.
He tells BBC Business Today that the current environment is “a tale of compound disruption”, creating a “state of perpetual uncertainty and a continual necessity to re-plan”.
French President Emmanuel Macron has posted on X to say that the tariff pause “remains fragile” and notes that “the 25% duties on steel, aluminium and automobiles, as well as the 10% tariffs on other products, are still in place. They amount to €52bn (£45bn) in duties on the European Union”.
He goes on to note that the 90-day pause in tariffs “means 90 days of uncertainty for our businesses, on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond”.
It is not just the tariffs that are costly, but the threat of tariffs too. That throttles confidence and investment. The tumultuous messaging from the White House demonstrates this threat almost daily.
Business, governments and even consumers around the world cannot ignore the unpredictable nature of US trade policy.