America cannot dodge the consequences of rising tariffs for ever

THREE MONTHS ago a tariff announcement by Donald Trump caused a market meltdown. More recently his words have mostly elicited a shrug. On July 7th America’s president published letters he had sent to 14 countries threatening “reciprocal” tariffs to be introduced by August 1st, including levies of 25% on Japan and South Korea. The next day he said he would impose a 50% charge on copper and, after a possible year and a half’s notice, up to 200% on pharmaceuticals. The day after that, he escalated a political row with Brazil by threatening it with tariffs of 50%. Yet although the copper price soared and Brazilian markets shivered, global equity and bond markets seem unaffected. Panic has given way to placidity.