When we look beyond the headline trade agreements between the US and Japan, and the US and the EU, the truth of the matter is that they have not achieved an awful lot – aside from a meaningful rise in US tariff rates and a series of opaque promises from Japan and the EU to consume more American goods.  Historically, promises to consume more never amount to much. Let’s look into the details and see what they mean for the wider trade outlook. EU-US trade agreement The details of the US trade agreement with the EU are sparse. Nonetheless, the…