Friday Business Report: Trump Announces More Tariffs On Chinese Goods

This week, BottomLine Marketing co-Founder Miro Copic discusses major national business topics with KPBS’s Ebone Monet. The $300 billion in tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration will finally impact the price of consumer goods during the holiday shopping season. Current tariffs are impacting the average household by over $830 and the new tariffs will add an additional $200 or more, erasing any wage gains made over the last 2 years. Next, Copic discusses the impact of the Fed cutting interest rates by a quarter of a point. The upside is that loan and mortgage rates for consumers will likely decline as they will for businesses. The Fed struggled with the decision to cut rates but ultimately did so to ensure the continuation of the current economic expansion, the longest in US history. Finally, Copic discusses the issues facing the merger between Sprint and T-Mobile. Could the third time be the charm? While the Federal government gave its approval, at least a dozen states are suing to block the merger, which they claim is anti-competitive. Copic identified two key issues. First, are the conditions of the merger enough to allow it to go through and, second, can Sprint continue operating as a stand alone company if the merger is not ultimately approved. (KPBS News – 8/2/19)