The R-word in US

Trump's tariff tantrums have led to concerns over the economy slipping into a recession

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The uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump's trade and tariff policies has not just caused an upheaval in the stock and currency markets—it is now threatening to badly hurt the US economy. While the US stock markets showed some spunk on Wednesday, in the past month or so, benchmark indices have plunged 8%, wiping out some $4 trillion in market value. The fall in tech stocks, as reflected in the slide in the Nasdaq, has been sharp. The Trump administration's almost cowboy approach to tariff policies, in which they are imposed and withdrawn in a matter of hours, is spooking economies around the globe. Fears of a hard landing are now growing, negating the efforts that the US Fed and other policymakers have made to tame inflation while ensuring the economy doesn't slip into a recession.