Track every tariff turn - without scrolling endless headlines. Tariff Pulse distills the latest U.S.– China trade-war moves, as well as a global tariff related updates, duty changes, and policy signals into colour-coded cards that flag risk or relief at a glance. Short summaries give you the high-level view of what happened and why it matters to e-commerce sellers and U.S. importers or those selling into the US - whether the impact is on landed cost, cash-flow, or sourcing strategy.
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Tariff chaos clouds Trump’s “golden age” as U.S. economy contracts in Q1 Negative ↓
• Q1 GDP turned negative for the first time in three years—imports surged ahead of tariffs, while consumer spending slid.• Trump blames Biden-era momentum for the slowdown, but businesses say the real damage came from chaotic tariff rollouts and mixed signals.• With sweeping tariffs now active,…
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Sharp Drop in Bookings? Look Again. Surface Slack ≠ Real Slack. Experience Snapshot Neutral →
Freight volumes are tanking, but don't count on this slump translating to easy space or low rates. Between March 24 to 31 and April 1 to 8, Vizion x CNBC data shows a 64% collapse in U.S. import bookings from China. U.S. export demand fell too, down 30–36%. That sounds like space should be wide…
See MoreSection 301 Tariffs Strip China Edge, Push Buyers to Vietnam and India Negative ↓
The twenty‑five‑percent Section 301 surcharge now adds an average fourteen‑cent premium to every China‑built control board; our margin model drops from 6.2 to –1.4 percent at that level. Factories in Guangdong report inventory‐to‐shipments ratios above 1.8, their credit lines thinning as…
See MoreCheap DDP Looked Sweet Until I Spotted the Importer‑of‑Record Landmine Neutral →
Last month, my supplier dangled this DDP quote that was literally 50 % cheaper than my usual FOB flow, so of course I jumped. Then a mentor flagged the real kicker: their forwarder planned to list ME as the importer of record (IOR). That means if customs later scream “undervaluation!” the paper…
See MoreChina quietly drops tariffs on some U.S. chips to shield its tech sector Positive ↑
• China has quietly zeroed out tariffs on certain U.S.-made semiconductors—likely to protect its own chipmakers from economic blowback.• The hush-hush “whitelist” lets Beijing ease pressure on its own industries while publicly holding a hard line against Trump’s 145% tariffs.• Beijing’s playing a…
See MoreChina 'evaluating' US offer to negotiate tariffs, sending stock futures higher Positive ↑
• China says it’s “evaluating” U.S. efforts to restart tariff talks and that “the door is open”—a rare signal of flexibility.• Wall Street liked the tone: Dow futures surged 370+ points, with strong gains across global markets.• But Beijing made it clear: no real progress unless the U.S. drops…
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Xbox joins PlayStation in hiking console prices amid U.S. tariff pressures Negative ↓
Microsoft has increased prices for its Xbox consoles, controllers, and first-party games globally. The Xbox Series X now retails for approximately $600 in the U.S., a $100 increase, attributing the hike to rising manufacturing costs influenced by U.S. tariffs.
See MoreWe Tried Transshipment Through Malaysia-Used to Be Easy, Now It’s Risky as Hell Negative ↓
Been movin’ aluminum goods to the U.S. for years, always knew we’d get smacked with high duties (Section 232, plus 301 now maybe too). Way before the trade war went full beast-mode, we were already shiftin’ shipments via Malaysia and Vietnam—our supplier’s got “factories” there, but really, most of…
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