Chris Zephro’s warehouse full of latex masks, “Saw” movie props, and zombie apocalypse games is a testament to his love of horror.
“Horror is not necessarily Halloween. It’s really a lifestyle,” Zephro said.
But the fake blood inside his Santa Cruz, California, warehouse pales in comparison to the real-life cash bleed from his business ever since the Trump administration launched a trade war with China last spring.
There’s a divide in the US economy between the haves and the have-nots. And accelerating inflation, driven in part by tariffs, could make it worse.
Government data points to the early stages of businesses passing on the costs of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping import tariffs to consumers.
Still, inflation remains well below its peak, and a debate continues over the extent to which tariffs will lead to a sustained rise in the pace of price hikes.
But Americans like Yanique Clarke are feeling the pinch.
Yanique, a nursing student in Manhattan who identifies as lower-income, said while shopping for groceries at a Target store this week that “prices are really drastically high” for meat, vegetables, and fruit.
“It’s quite a while now, but it’s getting higher,” she said.
An eerie silence hangs over N Krishnamurthy’s garment manufacturing unit in Tiruppur, one of India’s largest textile export hubs.
Only a fraction of some 200 industrial sewing machines on the floor are in operation, as workers make the last of the season’s children’s garment orders for some of the biggest US retailers.
At one end of the room, piles of fabric samples for new designs are gathering dust – casualties of US President Donald Trump’s steep 50% tariffs on India, set to kick in from Wednesday.
India is a major exporter of goods, including garments, shrimp and gems, and jewellery, to the US. Trade experts say the high tariffs – including a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil and weapons – are akin to an embargo on Indian goods.
BBC correspondents visited key export hubs across India to assess how the trade uncertainties are impacting business owners and livelihoods.
Last June, after almost a full year on the job hunt, Jordan Williams landed a role at a high-growth, United Kingdom-based outdoor apparel brand that was looking to build out its US operations.
Passenger Clothing was well positioned for expansion: The company landed orders with REI, Scheels and others; and Williams, a Portland, Oregon-based outdoor industry veteran, was excited for the ride.
Until April.
US President Donald Trump has signed an order to ease the impact of new tariffs on the auto industry, which had sparked warnings about higher prices and the potential for significant hits to sales and production.
The change will allow carmakers with US factories to reduce the amount they pay in import taxes on foreign parts, using a formula tied to how many cars they sell and the price.
The provision is intended to provide relief to businesses for two years as they rework their supply chains, White House officials said.
Electronics imported to the United States will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, according to a US Customs and Border Protection notice posted late Friday.
Smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. The exemption applies to products entering the United States or removed from warehouses as early as April 5, according to the notice. The exemption, which comes after the Trump administration on Wednesday imposed a minimum tariff rate of 145% on Chinese goods imported to the United States, does not include the 20% tariff on Chinese goods for the country’s role in the fentanyl trade. The tariff exemption would have a major impact on tech giants like Apple, which make iPhones and other products in China.
In a time where tariff price hikes are invading seemingly every element of life, diving into a video game could offer a welcome reprieve, both spiritually and fiscally. Digital video games do not require materials, shipping, or manufacturing costs, allowing them to cross borders without incurring extra fees. And the video game industry has been shifting to digital long before Trump’s so-called Liberation Day.
“In terms of software, PC gaming is now overwhelmingly digital, and physical versions are largely obsolete,” says Manu Rosier, market intelligence director at Newzoo. “We do not expect tariffs to significantly impact the price of video game software.”
In early March, Goldman Sachs downgraded its prior economic forecast for gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2025 from 2.4% to 1.7%. According to Jan Hatzius, Goldman’s chief economist, “The reason for the downgrade is that our trade policy assumptions have become considerably more adverse.”
CNBC reports, “Goldman is warning that tariffs could raise consumer prices and tighten financial conditions, while leading companies to delay investments.”
David Kelly, the chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management wrote, “The trouble with tariffs, to be succinct, is that they raise prices, slow economic growth, cut profits, increase unemployment, worsen inequality, diminish productivity and increase global tensions. Other than that, they’re fine.”
US stocks slid Monday as investors braced for President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico to go into effect by the midnight deadline. The Dow tumbled 650 points, or 1.48%, to close at 43,191.
The Dow fell almost 900 points in afternoon trading before pulling back slightly. The broader S&P 500 fell 1.76% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.64%.
The S&P 500 posted its biggest one-day decline of the year. The Nasdaq is down about 6.5% since since Trump took office on January 20.
“Tomorrow, tariffs — 25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico,” Trump said during a press conference at the White House. “And that’ll start. … What they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that even more tariffs could be coming as soon as next week: This time China was his target, as Trump threatened to unleash a wave of higher taxes on imports from America’s second-biggest trading partner.
In an Oval Office press conference that echoed similar off-the-cuff remarks on Monday, Trump said that he is considering a 10% across-the-board tariff on all Chinese goods starting as early as February 1. On Monday, Trump threatened 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada but deflected on China, noting that former President Joe Biden left in place extensive tariffs that Trump imposed during his first administration.
Dispatches From The Front 