Commercial Awareness Update - September 2018

Coralin96

Valued Member
Early Bird
Feb 28, 2018
122
175
A little late to the party on September's update!

Donald Trump is losing the trade war with China

The Story

Rather than this being a news story, this is more of a summary of an interesting article I read by Business Insider.

The article says that "despite the imposition of tariffs and counter-tariffs in July, the US trade deficit increased to $50.1 billion, a 9.6% increase from the previous month". In addition "the goods trade deficit with both China and the EU hit record highs in the month of July".

The US trade deficit is one the reasons Trump started imposing tariffs on countries around the world. It means that US imports are exceeding its exports, which Trump believes is causing harm to American companies.

Impact on businesses and law firms

As Trump's tariffs don't seem to be correcting the trade deficit, it could mean Trump will impose more trade measures on countries around the world.

The health of the US economy compared to other countries has caused US imports to grow significantly this year.

The question is whether Trump can ever "win" the trade war. In the meantime, businesses trying to undertake international trade will suffer.

Amazon second company to pass the $2tn mark

The Story

Amazon, one of the world's most feared companies, has now become the second company after Apple to have a market capitalisation of over $2tn.

Unlike Apple, Amazon's growth over the last year has surged, with the big tech company doubling the value of its stock. The company has shown it can also turn a profit, bringing in a net income of over $2bn in July.

Impact on business and law firms

Amazon has entered many markets over the past few years, from artificial intelligence to healthcare, as the company sought to invest in its future. It is the biggest provider of cloud computing to businesses and has billions of valuable customer data - which may lead it to compete with Google and Facebook in advertising.

Many investors see Amazon changing the future, with Amazon devices being used to operate devices around the house and order groceries.

Meanwhile, Apple has seen strong iPhone sales and is undertaking the largest share buyback in history. Microsoft is also growing revenues at its fastest rate in a decade and Google is speeding up its growth to invest in products outside search.

However, regulators are starting to take a look at the big tech companies. The US justice department has recently said it will go after technology companies for free speech and competition issues. Under section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act, Facebook and Twitter are not liable for most user-generated content. But this has been tested recently, as the social media sites have come under fire fro Russian interference in elections and other privacy issues.
 

jess889

Distinguished Member
Feb 26, 2018
53
37
Talking about commenting more:

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Reactions: P. Dybala and Salma

Coralin96

Valued Member
Early Bird
Feb 28, 2018
122
175
I promise I'm still alive! Sorry for the late one today guys, although this story brought me back :p

Trump's new round of tariffs on China

The Story:

Donald Trump has announced that he will impose a 10% tariff on $200bn worth of tariffs on Chinese exports. This is more than half of all Chinese imports. The news dashed hopes that the two sides would come to a settlement.

Impact on businesses and law firms

These tariffs are far bigger than Trump's previous rounds of tariffs and they affect a wider range of goods.

The Chinese stock market did not react to too much to the news. This is possibly because Trump declared he would only impose 10% tariffs instead of the 25% he threatened before. The clarity gives equity investors certainty on what will happen.

This whole trade war however has had an impact on Chinese stocks. Investors are looking for companies with healthy profits and are becoming averse to risks.

Technology stocks also dropped as there are fears that Trump's tariffs war could impact their sector. For example, shares in Apple fell 2.75 and Amazon saw a 3.2% fall. The value of global currencies also fell.

Relations between the two countries are at their worst in 40 years. China also has tools in its disposal, should it wish to use them. for example, it could regulate US companies in China, rejecting proposed takeovers under competition law. It could also impact US law firms trying to operate in the region.
 

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