President Donald Trump's trade war has cost companies more than $34 billion in lost sales and higher costs, according to a Reuters analysis of corporate disclosures, a toll that is expected to rise as ongoing uncertainty over tariffs paralyzes decision making at some of the world's largest companies, Reuters reported. Across the United States, Asia and Europe, companies including Apple, Ford, Porsche and Sony have pulled or slashed their profit forecasts, and an overwhelming majority say that the erratic nature of Trump's trade policies has made it impossible to accurately estimate costs.
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A U.S. trade court blocked most of President Donald Trump's tariffs in a sweeping ruling on Wednesday that found the president overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from U.S. trading partners, Reuters reported. The Court of International Trade said the U.S. Constitution gives Congress exclusive authority to regulate commerce with other countries that is not overridden by the president's emergency powers to safeguard the U.S. economy.
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After stepping back this month from an escalating and dangerous war of tariffs, the United States and China are now threatening to undermine their uneasy truce, the New York Times reported. On May 12, the countries announced after weekend meetings in Geneva that they would suspend most of their recently imposed tariffs. Since then, however, both governments have shown that they are still prepared to wield controls over critical exports as weapons against one another, with moves that are potentially even more damaging to trade and global supply chains.
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The Bank of Mexico lowered its economic growth estimates for this year and next, citing uncertainty about the impact of U.S. import tariffs and weakness in domestic consumption and investment, the Wall Street Journal reported. In its quarterly report, the central bank said it expects Mexico’s gross domestic product to grow 0.1% this year, down from it’s previous estimate of 0.6%. The forecast ranges from a contraction of 0.5% to an expansion of 0.7%. For 2026, the bank cut its growth forecast to 0.9% from 1.8% previously.
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Canada Post on Wednesday reported a $611 million pre-tax loss in 2024 and simultaneously presented a “best and final” contract offer to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers with operational reforms it says are needed to stabilize finances and improve mail service, Freight Waves reported. The annual report underscored the financial pressures weighing on Canada Post and the need for restructuring, but sharp union criticism of the latest counteroffer foreshadows a potential escalation of the current labor action that could further hurt the bottom line.
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A Canadian aluminum trader that had been struggling to restructure its debt has filed bankruptcy in the US and Canada, saying the American trade war helped push the company over the edge, Bloomberg Law reported. Sinobec Group Inc. arranges deals between sellers and buyers of aluminum ingots, as well as finished items like building products, shower doors and fences, the company said in court papers filed in federal court in Illinois on Tuesday.
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Canada's Hudson's Bay Company plans to lay off 8,347 employees, or 89% of its workforce, by Sunday when it will conclude its liquidation sale and shut all stores, according to documents published late on Monday. Hudson's Bay, Canada's oldest retail chain, has been part of the country's landscape and identity for 355 years, anchoring malls from coast to coast. Founded in 1670, the Bay's brick-and-mortar department stores are following similar retail businesses struggling with declining foot traffic and competing with online commerce. The layoffs follow rising joblessness in Canada.
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A Quebec Superior Court judge has approved the sale of vehicle-maker Lion Electric Co. to a group of Quebec investors, giving the struggling manufacturer a new lease on life, the Canadian Press reported. During a hearing on Thursday, Justice Michel Pinsonnault said the deal is the only option that ensures the company can keep operating. “This is the only potential transaction that makes sense,” he said. “There are no others.” The decision comes five months after Lion Electric sought protection from its creditors in December.
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South Korea will prepare support measures for agricultural and food exporters, while closely monitoring the impact of U.S. tariffs on the sector, the finance ministry said on Thursday, Reuters reported. The United States is the biggest export market for the sector, with more growth potential expected from a boom in demand for South Korean foods, the ministry said in a statement after a meeting to review government responses to U.S. tariffs. South Korean officials travelled to Washington, D.C.
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