The US is expected to impose 19% tariffs on Indonesian goods; meanwhile, Trump's wider tariff regime is starting to have a more pronounced impact on US inflation.
Amid the uncertainty a US giant has suspended some apparel orders from the country, which is competing with the likes of Cambodia and Vietnam; meanwhile government export subsidies are set to decrease.
Despite a tentative US, China deal, uncertainty around tariffs has increased demand for trade finance products from Asian corporates, as firms look to reroute supply chains, derisk and improve working capital.
A combination of alternative shipping routes, higher prices, less trade and reduced investments, are all expected, according to a trade survey; there is more uncertainty ahead as the end of the 90-day pause edges closer.
Exports grew 15% in Q1, however there is expected to be a slowdown moving forward as tariffs bite, the baht remains strong and tourism faces headwinds.
The weekend agreement to reduce tariffs to 10% in China and 30% in the US is good news for companies, markets, and the US dollar; however it excludes the de minimis clause.
May 12, 2025
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The so-called ‘BRICS Bridge’ project may have stalled, but efforts to undermine the primacy of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency have received a boost from an unlikely source; although any path to a true alternative will be long and difficult.
The global economy is going through unprecedented times and expert panelists from Baguio Green Group, SF Reit Asset Management and HSBC discussed how to best manage the volatility.
Buyers are asking Bangladeshi exporters to share the additional tariff burden in a garment market which exports almost $9bn of products to the US annually; meanwhile the government wants to reduce barriers for US imports.
The Hong Kong government is supporting exporters with insurance and cash flow needs, with Donald Trump now, temporarily, exempting electronics from tariffs imposed on China and Hong Kong.
US president Donald Trump has ordered a 90-day pause on retaliatory tariffs above the 10% already imposed, except for Chinese goods, with tariffs now at 125% after China retaliated; the EU has also retaliated. Trump may have been fearful over the impact on the US bond market.