Trump's regime shift appears to be protectionist with higher tariffs and the unleashing of animal spirits in the economy. Assumptions about impending sky-high inflation levels are likely wide of the mark.
Donald Trump brings chaos, rhetorical or otherwise. The Irish economic model is based on certainty. The priority for the next government, regardless of its composition, will be to maintain this certainty amid such chaos. Much depends on it.
Trump’s first-term tariffs were small and on a limited number of goods. A blanket tariff on all imports of at least 10% is almost incomparable and would have an outsized impact on Ireland.
From tariffs to oil prices and corporation tax, the ripples created by the US election have begun to make their way across the Atlantic. The Currency’s writers have been anticipating them.
In the final part of our series on EU trade deals, Irish firms expanding in Asia could find a welcome environment in Japan. It may be the last trade deal of its kind for some time.
In the second part of our trade deal series, The Currency looks at how the 2020 EU-Vietnam agreement still leaves hurdles for Irish food exporters, while the country could serve as a beachhead for business in south-east Asia.
In the first part of our series examining Irish businesses leveraging the EU’s most recent trade deals, farm machinery firms could benefit the most from Kiwi access.
The Cavan multinational is railing against hefty duties, as high as 68 per cent, that the EU has slapped on China-made chemicals used in flame retardants.
The EU-Mercosur trade deal has been in the works for 25 years but environmental concerns and anger from farmers could kill the deal in its last stretch. The outcome of next week's election will also influence the outcome of negotiations.
China's obvious choice is to side with Russia in the face of growing US demands. For Europe, an alternative has opened between supporting the American push for a Nato-backed expansion of Western influence or a more multi-polar world.
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