Did Trump threaten Canada with annexation and impose punitive tariffs on them to weaken them.
Did Trump threaten to Annex Greenland?
Did Trump impose tariffs on Australia with whom they have a surplus with and whom they get free trade (tariff free) with under AUSFTA?
Did Trump rock the world financial system and nearly crash it then flip flop on them because he could see the bond market was crashing.
I'll take a stab at it - but please know I am no expert. I'm a retired Bell Company employee.
The annexation thing, even by pundit standards, was more of a joke than anything. He joked about it. He got a rise. He joked about it some more. He made some good points about how it could be beneficial to each Country. I don't think it is anything to get overly excited about. If tanks start rolling north across the border, I will reconsider.
As far as the tariffs on Canada, it was my understanding that US imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum with the idea of driving more production for the US - not to weaken Canada. The remining products are at 10% IIRC. Canada replied with their own tariffs on U.S. goods, including orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, etc., to the tune of $30B. I understand Canada will expand the tariffs to cover an additional $125 billion worth of products. Plus, the US trade aspect is pretty small compared to Australia's biggest trading partner - China.
Regarding Greenland, I think it was a similar situation regarding the Canadian 'annexation' no? Let's ask the people of Greenland what they think. I saw people saying they didn't care and that it could be a benefit to them. We and they would then have nice strategic land mass to protect us AND Canada from the likes of Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, etc.
Yes, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on goods imported from Australia. "Trump cited "trade barriers" such as Australia's biosecurity laws - singling out a ban on the import of US beef - as the reason for what he called a "reciprocal tariff". As I mentioned the other day in this thread or another one, AUS trades iron ore to the US at 155M annual clip. AUS trades iron ore to China at a $70B annual clip. Then there are some that say, the US - China trade situation could be a boon for Australia, as China looks for new markets. Hell, pricing may go down on average for you guys.
I'm pretty sure Trump knew what was going to happen to the markets. The market dropped due to uncertainty on all of this. That usually shakes out the people who shouldn't be trading anyway as they get scared easily. That and some things have a way of getting overly inflated. I actually like shake outs.
It helps my portfolio in the long term - which is all I care about. I could give a damn what happened yesterday or last week. Again, it is part of the art of the deal. Trump throws out a bunch of stuff, people freak out, he settles on more of a middle ground. That's kind of how it works. It is call negotiations. If you ask quietly and politely you get ignored. US is tired of being ignored and taken advantage of while other countries prosper on our backs.
In the end - you'll be fine. Go play your guitar and ride your Harley. No reason to get all riled up with a few on a guitar web site.
