Americans on Trade and Market Volatility

President Donald Trump’s decision this week to impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports resulted in retaliatory tariffs on an equivalent amount of U.S. goods and raised fears of a trade war between the two countries. These fears triggered volatility in the U.S. stock market, with the Dow plunging hundreds of points following the tariff announcement, only to erase those losses shortly after.

Trump has long alleged that the U.S. is on the losing end of trade with China and other countries and that he intends to review trade agreements, as well as impose tariffs to redress the imbalance. However, Americans overall tend to see trade in a positive, rather than a negative, light. CONT.

RJ Reinhart, Gallup