Volvo profits down more than expected
Vehicle manufacturer Volvo has had a bad first quarter, reporting sales that were lower than expected.
Trade
Latest reporting and analysis on trade.
Trump ‘100% confident of EU trade deal’ after talks with Italy PM Meloni
US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have each expressed confidence that the US and Europe would be able to negotiate a trade deal…
US tariffs reignite EU free trade agreement talks with India
The European Union has ramped up its push to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, with pharmaceuticals now in the spotlight.
Tobacco industry ‘not against more tax, but harmonised approach needed’
The tobacco industry was not "against regulation or taxation", according to Philipp Hansen, European affairs director at Japan Tobacco International, "but it has…
European travel to US collapses amid Trump’s hard-line stance
The number of European travellers going to the US has fallen as political and economic tensions have risen under the administration of US President Donald Trump.
France cautious as EU freezes tariff response
The 90‐day tariffs suspension by US President Donald Trump offers Brussels only a temporary, fragile reprieve – “not good news” but “less-worst news”…
Gold shines as uncertainty reigns
As global financial markets remained in disarray following US President Donald Trump's tariffs announcements, gold has soared to new heights.
Trump suggests linking tariffs negotiations to US troops in Europe
US President Donald Trump has indicated he is open to connecting tariff negotiations with the presence of US troops in Europe.
China, EU must oppose tariff ‘bullying’, Xi tells Spanish PM
President Xi Jinping told Spain's prime minister on April 11 that China and the European Union must join together in defending globalisation and opposing "unilateral…
EU and Beijing to seek deal on minimum Chinese electric-car prices, drop tariffs
The European Union and China have agreed to look into setting minimum prices on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) instead of tariffs imposed by the EU last year,…
Trump’s tariff pause focuses trade war on China, markets bounce
US President Donald Trump's stunning decision to pause most of the hefty duties he had just imposed on dozens of countries brought relief for battered global stock…
Would Trump defend Taiwan?
President Trump’s tariff bombshell is more than simply a historic economic decision with geopolitical consequences on the side, as second-order effects.
Russia indirectly hit by US-EU trade tensions as volatility spikes, expert says
The huge wave of US tariffs imposed on almost every country except Russia, and the trade negotiations that stemmed from it, have hit Moscow's energy interests and…
Trump’s tariffs: Europe must realise quality not just price can win US customers
I always found the story behind the “Made in Germany” label interesting.
French minister: ‘Tariffs threatens jobs, companies should suspend US investment’
French Minister for Industry and Energy Marc Ferracci has warned that jobs in key industrial sectors were at risk due to the new tariffs imposed by the US President…
Devilish? EU-China relations after Trump’s tariffs surrender Europe to the despot Xi
Donald Trump has unleashed a trade tempest that has got the EU scrambling.
Ice-cold calm needed on tariffs and not journalists’ urge to report ‘war’
Perhaps the most sensible thing said in the hysterical particle-accelerator that was world opinion following President Trump’s announcements on tariffs came from…
Spain’s economy minister pushes Mercosur deal against backdrop of US tariffs
Spain's economy minister Carlos Cuerpo has said he believed the European Union would speed up the Mercosur trade negotiations with South America as the world struggled…
European critics say US tariff calculations ‘overly simplistic’
During his "Liberation Day" tariffs speech, US President Donald Trump presented a chart detailing those imposed on almost every country.
Ukraine aims to ‘align’ with US on minerals deal in talks this week
Ukraine will send a team to Washington this week to move forward with negotiations on a more expansive draft for a minerals deal offered by the United States,…
EU seeks unity in first strike back at Trump tariffs
European Union countries will seek to present a united front in the coming days against US President Donald Trump's tariffs, likely approving a first set of targeted…
France pushes for ‘economic patriotism’ in face of Trump tariffs
Eric Lombard, France's economy minister, has called on French companies to show "patriotism" in the face of the worldwide customs duties announced by US President…
Trans-Atlantic trade tensions show signs of destabilising NATO
NATO allies have scrambled to preserve unity as a growing US-European Union trade dispute threatened to overshadow efforts to boost military spending.
It’s not ‘Liberation Day’, it’s ‘Inflation Day’: European Parliament leader
Donald Trump's wide-ranging tariffs will harm businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, EU leaders said on April 3.
Trump vows to ‘make America wealthy again’ with global range of tariffs
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing tariffs on the European Union and many other countries.
Europe in last-ditch effort to avoid trade war
With hours to go before US President Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement, European leaders in Brussels, London and Frankfurt have been making last-ditch efforts…
The tariffs gamble: Inflation, growth and the ECB’s next move
As the clock ticks down to US President Donald Trump's tariffs announcement, markets, policymakers and consumers stand at a crossroads, caught between rising prices…
US tariffs: EU focuses on single market and could turn towards China
The EU plans on reinforcing trade within its own member states and with third parties such as China, in response to ongoing economic tensions caused by US policies…
Ukraine caught between US mineral protection deal and EU accession
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been accused by President Trump of backing out of the latest natural resources deal with the US, according to a report…
Trump ‘pissed off’ with Putin, threatens 25% tariffs on Russian oil
US President Donald Trump has said he was "pissed off" at Russian President Vladimir Putin and would impose secondary tariffs of 25 per cent to 50 per cent on buyers…