Trump calls Fed chief a fool after decision + US auto industry criticizes Trump's deal with UK + Half of high-tech chips to come from US + Trade Desk beats expectations for first quarter

Trump calls Fed chief a fool after decision

• US President Donald Trump has called Fed Chairman Jerome Powell a fool following the Federal Reserve's decision to leave the key interest rate unchanged for the time being.
• "Jerome Powell is a fool who has no idea", Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
• He had already attacked Powell several times in the past, calling him a "loser" or "Mr. Too Late".
• The Fed had been on a collision course with Trump, who is vehemently calling for interest rate cuts, the day before.
• In view of Trump's aggressive tariff policy, it had opted for a wait-and-see approach and does not want to commit to cutting interest rates any time soon.
• "We have to wait and see how the situation develops," said Fed Chairman Powell when asked by a reporter whether the central bank should cut interest rates at all this year.
• The Fed left the key interest rate at a high level in the range of 4.25 to 4.5 percent.

US car industry criticizes Trump's deal with the UK

• US President Donald Trump's trade pact with the UK has gone down badly with the US automotive industry.
• The reason for this is the reduction in import duties for 100,000 British cars from 25 to 10 percent.
• This would favor manufacturers from the UK over their own industry, criticized the industry association AAPC.
• It represents the big three US car manufacturers: Ford $F (+0,88 %) , General Motors $GM (+0,02 %)and the Stellantis Group $STLAM (-0,67 %)with brands such as Jeep and Dodge.
• Trump's government had imposed tariffs of 25 percent on imported vehicles and components.
• The US manufacturers produce some car models in Mexico and Canada and also source parts from there for production in the USA.
• A large proportion of these are initially exempt from the tariffs as long as the requirements of the USMCA free trade agreement are met.
• Association sees damage for US industry
• Over time, however, the foreign components of USMCA-compliant imported vehicles will also be subject to a 25 percent tariff.
• The trade pact will make it cheaper to bring a British car to the USA than a vehicle from Canada or Mexico, half of which consists of US parts, criticized the association.
• This would harm American manufacturers, suppliers and employees.
• Trump's Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick had argued that 100,000 vehicles only made up a small part of the US car market but were a relevant amount for British manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover.

US Secretary of Commerce: Half of high-tech chips to come from the USA

• US President Donald Trump's administration has set a new ambitious target for the semiconductor market: 50 percent of modern high-tech chips are to be produced in the USA.
• This should give the country the "firepower" to develop artificial intelligence, said Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on US broadcaster CNBC.
• The majority of chips have been produced in Asia for decades.
• The most modern semiconductors for smartphones or AI data centers, for example, come from Taiwan from contract manufacturer TSMC $TSM (+0,58 %).
• There is great concern in the West that China could cut off supplies.
• Trump's predecessor Joe Biden therefore tried to bring more production to the USA.
• His government promised subsidies of around 39 billion dollars (35 billion euros) for this, and several plants are currently being built.
• Trump criticized the aid as a waste of money and wants to focus on tariffs instead.
• Restrictions on the export of US chips At the same time, Trump's government under Biden overturned export barriers for AI technology.
• Export restrictions were planned for many countries - to prevent chips and software from reaching countries such as China via detours.
• Lutnick criticized that this would have cut off allies such as Poland from modern US technology.
• The Trump administration has a different approach.
• According to this, chip deliveries should be permitted if they come to data centers of US operators, said Lutnick.
• As a second requirement, the data center would have to be connected to a cloud infrastructure "from someone we trust".

The Trade Desk $TTD (+4,2 %)exceeds expectations for the first quarter thanks to strong demand for advertising technology

• Trade Desk released first-quarter revenue and earnings figures on Thursday that beat analysts' expectations thanks to strong demand for automated ad-buying technology.
• The company's shares rose by 14% in after-hours trading.
• The advertising company's strong results come at a time when companies are reducing their marketing spending due to prevailing recession fears and the uncertain economic situation.
• The advertising platform offers advertisers access to an extensive network of publishers and media partners across a range of industries, enabling them to target their advertising campaigns with precision.
• The Trade Desk is expanding support for its advertising ID "Unified ID 2.0" (UID2), which it says is more privacy-focused and an improvement and alternative to third-party cookies.
• Revenue increased by 25% to USD 616 million in the first quarter, exceeding estimates of USD 584 million, according to data from LSEG.
• On an adjusted basis, the company posted earnings of 33 cents per share for the quarter, above estimates of 25 cents.
• Trade Desk, which has partnerships with retailers such as Walmart, is forecasting second-quarter sales of at least $682 million, slightly below analysts' average estimate of $683.2 million.

Friday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures

• ex-dividend of individual stocks
• Allianz EUR 15.40
• MTU Aero Engines EUR 2.20
• Talanx EUR 2.70
• IBM USD 1.68
• Mensch und Maschine Software EUR 1.85
• Kuehne + Nagel International 8.25 CH
• Pfizer 0.43 USD
• Walmart 0.24 USD

• Quarterly figures / company dates USA / Asia
• 16:00 Colgate-Palmolive | AbbVie AGM

• Quarterly figures / company dates Europe
• 07:00 Commerzbank | Krones Quarterly figures
• 07:30 Bechtle quarterly figures
• 08:00 PNE AG | International Consolidated Airlines Quarterly figures
• 09:00 Commerzbank Analyst Conference
• 10:00 Drägerwerk AGM | PNE AG Analyst and Press Conference
• 10:30 Commerzbank | Bechtle PK
• 11:00 Villeroy & Boch AGM
• 13:00 Krones Analyst Conference

• Economic data

04:00 CN: April trade balance PROGNOSE: +97.60bn USD previous: +102.64bn USD Exports PROGNOSE: +2.5% yoy previous: +12.4% yoy Imports PROGNOSE: -5.5% yoy previous: -4.3% yoy

12:45 IS: Fed Governor Barr and Fed Governor Kugler (14:30) and Fed Governor Waller (17:30) et al, Reykjavik Economic Conference

14:30 US: Fed Richmond President Barkin to participate in Loudon County Chamber of Commerce Fireside Chat

16:00 US: Fed-Chicago President Goolsbee, attends Fed list-serve event

17:30 US: Fed Richmond President Barkin, attends Greater Washington Board of Trade event

No time specified:

- DE: Start of the trade fair "Invest - the financial event for your future ", Stuttgart

- RU: China's President Xi, visit to Russia

- FR: France's President Macron and Poland's Prime Minister Tusk sign defense agreement

$GM (+0,02 %) , $MCD (-0,47 %) .....

https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/geschaeftszahlen-im-newsblog-general-motors-setzt-prognose-herunter-mcdonalds-mit-rueckgang-bei-umsatz-und-gewinn/24098412.html

According to $JPM (-0,49 %) the neuen Zölle
$GM (+0,02 %) could cost up to 14 billion US dollars, which would eat up almost the entire forecast global EBIT of 12.5-14.5 billion US dollars for 2025. For $F (+0,88 %) is expected to have an impact of around USD 6 billion, which corresponds to approximately 75% of the estimated global EBIT of USD 7.75 billion for 2025.

$GM (+0,02 %) imports around USD 56 billion worth of vehicles annually from Mexico and Canada, resulting in estimated tariffs of around USD 10 billion on finished vehicles and an additional USD 4 billion on parts, totaling USD 14 billion.

The tariffs could increase vehicle prices by $3k to $12k, potentially reducing US sales by 500k units.

$JPM (-0,49 %) has lowered the price target for $GM (+0,02 %) from 64 US dollars to 53 US dollars and for $F (+0,88 %) from 13 US dollars to 11 US dollars

$BARC (+0,15 %) warns that the tariffs could make car manufacturers "structurally unprofitable" if they remain unchanged.

Walt Disney surprises positively thanks to streaming business + Siemens Healthineers increases profit + Trump's tariffs could cost US industry billions

Walt Disney $DIS (+0,49 %)surprises positively thanks to 'Moana 2' and streaming business

• Thanks to a strong streaming business and the success of the animated film "Moana 2", the US media company Walt Disney has exceeded market expectations at the start of its new financial year.
• Sales and profits were higher than expected, according to the figures presented by Disney in Burbank on Wednesday.
• In other business areas, however, including the TV business and the operation of the theme parks, things were less rosy.
• The stock market also criticized the fact that the forecast was not raised.
• The share price fell in pre-market US trading. In the first quarter to the end of December, Disney's turnover rose by 5 percent to 24.7 billion US dollars (23.9 billion euros) compared to the same period in the previous year.
• Adjusted operating profit rose by almost a third to 5.1 billion dollars.
• The profit attributable to shareholders climbed even more strongly to just under 2.6 billion dollars.
• The quarter was a strong start to the financial year, said Disney CEO Bob Iger according to the press release.
• He remains confident about the growth strategy.

Siemens Healthineers $SHL (+0,66 %)American demand and restructuring

• The medical technology group Siemens Healthineers has made a surprisingly good start to the new fiscal year.
• In the three months to the end of December, total sales climbed by almost six percent to just under 5.5 billion euros, as the Siemens subsidiary announced in Erlangen on Thursday.
• Excluding currency and portfolio effects, the increase amounted to 5.7 percent.
• Business in the Americas and in the Asia, Pacific, Japan region grew in particular.
• In China, however, revenue fell by a mid-single-digit percentage due to the ongoing delays in the awarding of orders.
• Adjusted for special effects, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased by eleven percent to 822 million euros, mainly due to cost savings in connection with restructuring in the Diagnostics division.
• Sales and operating profit thus exceeded analysts' expectations.
• The bottom line for Siemens Healthineers shareholders was a profit of 474 million euros after 431 million in the previous year.
• Group CEO Bernd Montag maintained the targets for the fiscal year.

Trump's tariffs could cost the US industry billions

• Ford$F (+0,88 %) -Ford CEO Jim Farley has warned the White House that long-term punitive tariffs of 25 percent on deliveries from Mexico and Canada would hit the US car industry hard.
• This would cost American manufacturers billions of dollars in profits and have serious consequences for jobs in the USA, Farley said after presenting quarterly figures.
• US car giants such as Ford and General Motors $GM (+0,02 %)had expanded production in neighboring countries in recent years.
• US President Donald Trump recently imposed additional tariffs of 25 percent on goods from Mexico and Canada - but then quickly postponed them for 30 days.

Thursday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures

• ex-dividend of individual stocks
• Ascencio SCA EUR 4.30

• Quarterly figures / company dates USA / Asia
• 12:30 Honeywell quarterly figures
• 13:00 Philip Morris | Conocophillips Quarterly figures
• 22:00 Expedia Group quarterly figures
• 22:05 Amazon | Verisign quarterly figures
• No time specified: Yum! Brands | Hershey | Air Products and Chemicals | Eli Lilly | Bristol Myers Squibb | Intercontinental Exchange | KKR & Co | Sonos | Warner Music quarterly figures

• Quarterly figures / Company dates Europe
• 06:30 Societe Generale annual results
• 07:00 Aurubis | Siemens Healthineers | Rational | Arcelormittal | ING Groep | Volvo Car Annual results
• 07:30 Hannover Re Renewals 2025 | Siemens Healthineers PK
• 08:00 Astrazeneca | A.P. Moeller-Maersk Annual Results
• 08:30 Siemens Healthineers Analyst Conference
• 09:00 Hannover Re PK
• 10:00 Qiagen annual results press conference
• 12:00 Linde quarterly figures
• 15:00 Kion Pre-Close-Call | Linde PK
• 16:00 Qiagen Analyst Conference
• 17:45 Vinci annual results
• 18:00 LOreal annual results

Economic data

• 08:00 DE: New orders December seasonally adjusted FORECAST: +2.0% yoy previous: -5.4% yoy
• 11:00 EU: December Eurozone Retail Sales PROGNOSE: -0.1% yoy previous: +0.1% yoy
• 13:00 UK: BoE, outcome and minutes of the Monetary Policy Council meeting and Monetary Policy Report Bank Rate FORECAST: 4.50% previously: 4.75%
• 14:30 US: Initial jobless claims (week) FORECAST: 214,000 previously: 207,000
• 14:30 US: Productivity ex Agriculture (1st release) 4Q annualized PROGNOSE: +1.4% yoy Q3: +2.2% yoy Unit labor costs PROGNOSE: +3.3% yoy Q3: +0.8% yoy
• 20:30 US: Fed Governor Waller, speech at the Atlantic Council at 'Navigating the Future of Payments' event

In the following post, I would like to discuss the new US tariffs and their potential economic consequences. The background and the potential impact on inflation and companies, as well as the winners and losers on the stock market, will be discussed.

Again, of course, the stocks mentioned do not constitute investment advice, but merely serve as examples of possible beneficiaries or losers of tightening trade restrictions. Historical developments are no guarantee of future returns.

__________

In this post:

• Influence on inflation
• New tariffs in force
• Reaction of the countries
• Consequences for the global economy
• Winners & losers
• Investment opportunities

__________

The topic of "tariffs" is currently not only very present in the media, but the term "tariffs" has also been discussed with a strong increase in the past earnings calls of companies in the S&P 500, as the following chart shows [1].

The chart shows that the discussion about tariffs has intensified in recent months and is having an ever greater impact on the outlook in companies' annual reports.

The data is presented as a three-month average and broken down into various sectors, including e.g. industry, healthcare, consumer goods, information technology, etc.

I am curious to see how the stock markets will behave in the coming week. In addition to the current reporting season, the topic of "tariffs" will certainly dominate.

After the tough tariffs announced after Trump took office were not immediately enforced and there was a "slight" sigh of relief, there could now be a new reaction on the markets, as there was on Friday evening. slightly was already slightly noticeable on Friday evening when the markets turned towards the evening.

A looming trade conflict could not only affect individual companies, but also further fuel inflation in the US:

💰 Influence on inflation

On January 31, Deutsche Bank published a forecast on the potential impact of tariffs on the inflation rate [2]:

The chart compares the current forecast with the forecast before the "Trump" era and takes into account various scenarios for the passing on of tariffs (pass-through) by Canada and Mexico.

Two scenarios are considered: one with a 50% pass-through of tariffs (additional increase shown in dark green) and one with a 75% pass-through (light green). It is clear that the inflation rate could rise sharply again this year and fall again by 2027.

🛃 New tariffs in force & further measures planned

As of today, February 1, 2025, the US government and Donald Trump have imposed new import tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China:

• 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada
• 10% on imports from China

According to the White House spokesperson, these measures are, among other things, a response to the failure of these countries to stop the influx of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the USA. [3]

But this is just the beginning:

From mid-February, the USA will also impose tariffs on strategic goods [4], including:

• computer chips
• pharmaceuticals
• Steel, aluminum and copper
• Oil and gas imports (but only from February 18 with reduced 10% tariffs so as not to burden US petrol prices immediately).

🚨 Trump relies on escalation - Canada announces retaliation

Yesterday, Canadian government representatives, including Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, tried to prevent the tariffs in Washington, but to no avail.

Trump made it clear before his departure to Mar-a-Lago [5]:

"We have a 200 billion dollar trade deficit with Canada. Why should we subsidize Canada?"

The EU could also soon be targeted, as Trump hinted:

"Absolutely! The European Union has treated us so terribly!"

🔄 Canada's reaction:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will not back down and will respond with "swift and robust countermeasures".

The government is planning a three-stage retaliation strategy [5]:

• 1️⃣ Targeted punitive tariffs on US products coming from Republican states (e.g. orange juice, whiskey, ketchup, peanut butter and motorcycles).

• 2️⃣ Tariffs on steel products and machine parts from the USA.

• 3️⃣ Escalation: Stop exports of oil, gas and electricity to the USA

However, this last step in particular would be a double-edged sword, as Canada is heavily dependent on energy cooperation with the USA.

Economic experts in the US are already warning of the consequences of a trade war [5]:

• The new tariffs could increase the cost of living of an average US household by 800 dollars per year.
• The oil and gas tariffs could increase the price of petrol in the USA by up to 20 cents per liter.

But Trump remains firm:

"Maybe there will be short-term disruption, but in the long run the tariffs will make us very rich and very strong."

🌎 Possible consequences for the global economy

(a) Rising prices in the USA

• Technology & electronicsHigher chip prices are hitting companies such as Apple $AAPL (+0,38 %) , Dell $DELL and HP $HPQ (-0,13 %) as many of their components come from China.

• Healthcare costs: Pharmaceutical companies such as CVS Health $CVS (-1,32 %) and Walgreens Boots Alliance $WBA (+0,38 %) are facing higher purchasing costs.

• Construction & InfrastructureHigher steel prices are weighing on companies such as Lennar $LEN (-1,1 %) D.R. Horton $DHI (-1,31 %) and Caterpillar $CAT (+0,17 %) .

(b) Retaliation & new trade wars?

• China could impose tariffs on US products, which could affect e.g. Archer Daniels Midland $ADM (+1,44 %) Boeing $BA (+1,32 %) and Qualcomm $QCOM (-0,08 %) would be affected.

• The EU could make US imports more expensive, which would affect Tesla $TSLA (+4,76 %) , Ford $F (+0,88 %) and General Motors $GM (+0,02 %) could be harmed.

(c) Effects on the stock market

• Volatility is increasing as there is uncertainty about the consequences for various industries.

• Particularly affected: Technology and automotive stocks with global supply chains.

🏆 Winners & losers - which companies will benefit, which will suffer?

Possible beneficiaries of the tariffs

US manufacturers of steel, aluminum & copper

• Nucor $NUE (-0,53 %) , U.S. Steel $X (+1,97 %) and Freeport-McMoRan $FCX (-0,39 %) could benefit as foreign competition becomes more expensive as a result of the tariffs.

Domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies

• Pfizer $PFE (-3,12 %) Moderna $MRNA (-0,62 %) and Eli Lilly $LLY (-2,4 %) could gain market share.

Energy companies with US production

• ExxonMobil $XOM (+0,73 %) , Chevron$CVX (+0,46 %) and Expand Energy $CHK (+2,07 %) could benefit from rising prices for US oil and gas.

Chip manufacturers with US production

• Intel $INTC (+1,3 %) and Texas Instruments$TXN (+3,33 %) have US factories and could gain market share.

😥 Companies that could suffer from the tariffs

Chip manufacturers with global supply chains

• Apple $AAPL (+0,38 %) NVIDIA $NVDA (-0,87 %) , AMD $AMD (+0,77 %) are dependent on Asian imports and could see higher production costs.

Car manufacturers with global suppliers

• Tesla $TSLA (+4,76 %) , Ford $F (+0,88 %) , General Motors $GM (+0,02 %) are under pressure because components from Mexico and Canada could become more expensive.

Companies with strong export business

• Boeing $BA (+1,32 %) and Caterpillar $CAT (+0,17 %) suffer from possible retaliatory tariffs.

US retailers with a high import share

• Walmart $WMT (-0,83 %) , Target $TGT (-0,98 %) and Nike $NKE (-1,16 %) could have to pass on rising prices to customers.

🧠 Possible investment strategies

Favor defensive sectors:

• Utilities (e.g. NextEra Energy $NEE (+2,52 %) Duke Energy $DUK (-0,96 %) ) and healthcare companies (e.g. UnitedHealth $UNH (-1,42 %) , Johnson & Johnson $JNJ (-1 %) ) remain more stable.

Exploit long-term opportunities in "reshoring":

• Intel $INTC (+1,3 %) , Eli Lilly $LLY (-2,4 %) , Nucor $NUE (-0,53 %) could benefit in the long term.

Conclusion: Will the trade conflict escalate further?

With the new tariffs, Trump is taking a confrontational stance and Canada, Mexico and China are preparing for retaliatory measures. If further tariffs on European goods follow, the situation could worsen.

❓Which stocks do you think could be most affected? Which beneficiaries do you see?

Thanks for reading! 🤝

__________

Sources:

[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/yahoo-finance-chartbook-44-charts-that-tell-the-story-of-markets-and-the-economy-to-start-2025-105856766.html

[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-charts-show-why-markets-are-skittish-about-trumps-tariff-policy-144318249.html

[3] https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/usa-unter-trump/trumps-verhaengt-zoelle-gegen-kanada-mexiko-und-china-110269990.html?

[4]

https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2025-01/64440108-trump-usa-werden-ab-mitte-februar-zoelle-auf-computerchips-stahl-sowie-oel-und-gasimporte-erheben-015.htm

[5] https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/amerika/usa-trump-strafzoelle-100.html

The next electric pickup from General Motors
$GM (+0,02 %) could be a Hyundai
$HYUD
$005380 or vice versa ?!?

GM and Hyundai are working together on the introduction of an electric pickup.

GM and Hyundai signed a letter of intent in September to collaborate on the development and production of new vehicles.

According to GM CEO Mary Barra, the partnership is intended to "leverage the scale and creativity of both companies".

GM and Hyundai want to "improve their competitiveness in key markets and vehicle segments". They will use their competitive advantages to reduce costs and introduce advanced new technologies.

According to a new report by Korean media outlet Pulse, Barra met with Hyundai Chairman Euisun Chung earlier this month to discuss the partnership. According to the report, Hyundai and GM plan to collaborate on the development of a new electric pickup truck.

Interestingly, the two leading OEMs are considering "badge engineering," in which Hyundai would sell GM-produced vehicles with its branding, or vice versa.

The partnership is significant given the scale of the two auto giants. GM's Chevy Silverado was the second best-selling vehicle brand in the U.S. last year behind Ford's F-Series. The Ram pickup came in third place.

Hyundai and GM want a bigger piece of the pie, as pickups are the best-selling brands. By joining forces and complementing each other's strengths, they could reduce their costs and undercut the competition. This could also include using each other's distribution networks.

Earnings next week 🗓️

$SAP (-0,55 %)

$NUE (-0,53 %)

$VZ (-0,32 %)

$GM (+0,02 %)

$MMM (+0,52 %)

$RTX (+0,25 %)

$GE (-0,16 %)

$ENPH (+3,82 %)

$TXN (+3,33 %)

$VRT (-1,97 %)

$BA (+1,32 %)

$T (+1,06 %)

$KO (-1,29 %)

$NEE (+2,52 %)

$GEV (+1,58 %)

$TMO (-1,23 %)

$TSLA (+4,76 %)

$LRCX (+0,11 %)

$IBM (-2,21 %)

$NOW (-0,33 %)

$TMUS (-1,84 %)

$AAL (+0,36 %)

$UPS (-0,76 %)

$LUV (-0,18 %)