Fox News journalist Charles Gasparino shared remarkable information about the meetings held by US CEOs with the White House.
A top CEO told Gasparino that US President Donald Trump is open to listening to CEOs’ concerns about the impact of tariffs on the economy and markets. The biggest warning from the business community to Trump and his advisers, Gasparino said, is that the trade war over tariffs must end as soon as possible.
CEOs emphasize that if this situation continues, the risk of stagflation, where stagnation and inflation occur simultaneously in the US economy, will increase, and warn that the 10-year US bond yield reaching 5% will bring many risks. It is stated that Trump needs to quickly return to his growth-focused agenda. The White House has assured CEOs that this return has begun and that the ground for an agreement with China is still available.
Gasparino noted a growing consensus among top investors and market strategists he spoke to: If the trade war is not resolved quickly, 10-year bond yields are bound to hit 5%. But the Trump administration is currently conducting 75 different trade talks at once, and a deal with China is expected to be long and difficult, according to Gasparino, meaning uncertainty and volatility in the markets could continue for a long time.
On the other hand, Boston Fed President Susan Collins said that they do not see a general liquidity problem in the markets. Speaking to the Financial Times, Collins said that the Federal Reserve has the tools to intervene if there are any problems with market functioning or liquidity. “The Fed is certainly ready to stabilize the markets if necessary,” Collins said.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s tariff changes this week were an important tactic in negotiating new trade deals. Trump said the country-specific tariffs would go into effect in 90 days and that if no agreement was reached in that time, the situation would be reevaluated.
Leavitt argued that the 90-day period given was part of Trump’s long-term plan, saying, “Countries that heeded the President’s warnings were rewarded with lower tariffs during this period, creating the opportunity to reach permanent solutions during this period.”
Leavitt, however, did not say for sure whether the tariffs would be reimposed after 90 days. “At the end of that period, a decision will be made,” he said, implying that Trump was leaving some wiggle room.