Washington Post (July 24)
With import tariffs capped at 15%, Japanese autos look set to “benefit more than their rivals” due to the recently concluded U.S./Japan trade agreement while cars manufactured in their American plants may be able to escape tariffs completely. In contrast, many U.S. automakers have supply chains that “cross multiple borders, particularly in North America, where goods from Mexico and Canada are subject to 25 percent tariffs.” This may leave domestic automakers at a disadvantage. “Vehicles assembled in Mexico,” like the Chevrolet Equinox and the Ford Maverick, are expected to pass on “the highest costs to consumers.”
Tags: 15%, 25%, Assembled, Automakers, Autos, Benefit, Canada, Cars, Chevrolet, Costs, Ford, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/07/23/automakers-tariff-japan/ Japan, Import tariffs, Mexico, Multiple borders, North America, Rivals, Supply chains, Trade agreement, U.S., Vehicles
Washington Post (July 18)
“President Donald Trump’s disruptive trade and security policies are producing some big aftershocks.” Amid the fallout and complaints, there’s a common theme: “Rivals such as China seem to be faring better in dealing with Trump’s challenge to the global order than are traditional U.S. allies including Japan and European nations. Except for Britain, countries are often finding that the reward for being a loyal partner is a punch in the nose.”
Tags: Aftershocks, Britain, China, Complaints, Disruptive, European nations, Global order, Japan, Loyal partner, Punch, Reward, Rivals, Security, Trade, Trump, U.S. allies
Fortune (May 24)
“Predictions that the dollar’s dominance will come to an end soon have proliferated since President Donald Trump launched his trade war,” but it’s not so simple. “Assets in other top economies like China, Japan and Europe still aren’t as attractive as those in the U.S.” while potential rivals also “suffer from governance or political headwinds.” Until another currency surmounts these issues, “global investors are faced with the familiar reality that there is still no alternative to the greenback, which has been the currency of choice for international payments and reserves for decades.”
Tags: Alternative, Assets, Attractive, China, Dollar, Dominance, Europe, Governance, Greenback, Headwinds, International payments, Investors, Japan, Political, Predictions, Rivals, Top economies, Trade war, Trump, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (January 10)
“Excess capacity among carmakers in China is driving the world’s largest auto market into a shakeout phase.” According to one estimate, domestic carmakers are using just half of their capacity. “Among the early losers are foreign brands. General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota have been bleeding market share to homegrown rivals.” That said, it seems evident that as the shakeout phase continues, “local brands face a reckoning too.”
Tags: Auto market, Bleeding, Capacity, Carmakers, China, Domestic, Excess capacity, GM, Market share, Reckoning, Rivals, Shakeout phase, Toyota, Volkswagen
Financial Times (December 3)
“America’s economy is soaring ahead of its rivals,” and its “outperformance is rooted in long-term productivity growth that is the envy of the developed world.” Many of these productivity gains are coming from tech investments. “China is the only other large economy making significant strides in tech R&D spending…. the amount of venture capital invested in AI in China is now the second highest globally after the US.”
Tags: AI, China, Developed world, Economy, Envy, Investments, Outperformance, Productivity growth, R&D spending, Rivals, Soaring, Tech, U.S., VC
Reuters (November 29)
“It’s time for Toyota Motor’s two biggest domestic rivals to deal with their problems by joining forces. Nissan Motor’s woes are the more obvious: poor results prompted the $9 billion manufacturer into an emergency overhaul this month. But $40 billion Honda Motor’s autos unit is subpar, too. Welding them together would give scope to cut costs, charge earnings and invest more efficiently and effectively in electric vehicles and other technology.”
Tags: Costs, Earnings, Effectively, Efficiently, Emergency, EVs, Honda, Nissan, Overhaul, Results, Rivals, Technology, Toyota, Woes
New York Times (August 25)
“Given the war in Ukraine, the risks of a larger war in the Middle East and China’s accelerating challenge to American primacy, Europe needs the United States more than it has since the end of the Cold War. And America still has a unique and valuable asset that its growing list of rivals and adversaries don’t: reliable allies and partners in Europe.” No two ways about it: “America and Europe need each other.”
Tags: Adversaries, Allies, Asset, China, Cold war, Europe, Middle East, Primacy, Reliable, Risks, Rivals, U.S., Ukraine, Unique, Valuable, War
Washington Post (January 19)
“The S&P 500 hit an all-time closing high Friday.” Up over 1% from Thursday, the index closed at 4,839.81, “surpassing the previous closing record set in January of 2022.” Support stems from confidence in an economy that has averted a recession, apparently achieving an elusive soft-landing. Analysts also “point to an AI-driven frenzy on Wall Street that rivals the dot-com boom of the late ’90s, when investors sought to capitalize on the transformative gains brought by the early internet.”
Tags: AI, Analysts, Boom, Capitalize, Dot-com, Economy, Frenzy, Gains, High, Internet, Investors, Recession, Record Confidence, Rivals, S&P 500, Soft landing, Transformative, Wall Street
Wall Street Journal (March 2)
With “the rapidly advancing nuclear capabilities of all four of America’s nuclear-capable rivals—Russia, Iran, North Korea and China,” it is time to reevaluate nuclear strategy. “Instead of pursuing 1990s-era fantasies about reducing the role of nuclear weapons, Washington needs to understand that… it is entering a long-term strategic-arms competition.” The U.S. must “strengthen its strategic forces to provide an adequate deterrent for itself and the more than 30 formal treaty allies that rely on U.S. nuclear weapons for their security.”
Tags: 1990s, Advancing, Allies, Capabilities, China, Competition, Deterrent, Iran, North Korea, Nuclear, Rivals, Russia, Strategic arms, Strategy, U.S., Weapons
Wall Street Journal (February 22)
“Small businesses are bearing the brunt of supply-chain pressures and rising prices, with many tapping their cash reserves or taking on debt just to compete with larger rivals.” Most of them lack “the heft and sophistication to thrive in an environment of booming demand and short supply.” This further exacerbates “the existing power imbalance between small and big firms.”
Tags: Big firms, Booming demand, Brunt, Cash reserves, Compete, Debt, Power imbalance, Rising prices, Rivals, Short supply, Small businesses, Supply-chain pressures
