After a couple of decades, it would seem that the idea of free trade or cooperative trade would be an accepted global practice. And then Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. To fulfill campaign promises and appease his base, Trump is promising “fair trade” and “better deals” for American industry and workers. This will involve upending the global status quo on everything from NAFTA to intellectual property. The chilling effects of trade tensions were felt publicly when badass American icon Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) announced that it would be offshoring international manufacturing for foreign markets due to… Read More
After a couple of decades, it would seem that the idea of free trade or cooperative trade would be an accepted global practice. And then Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. To fulfill campaign promises and appease his base, Trump is promising “fair trade” and “better deals” for American industry and workers. This will involve upending the global status quo on everything from NAFTA to intellectual property. The chilling effects of trade tensions were felt publicly when badass American icon Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) announced that it would be offshoring international manufacturing for foreign markets due to the threat. The concerns have also helped equity markets erase all gains for the year. #-ad_banner-#Full disclosure, I am a free trader. I firmly believe that, in the long run, free trade can and does benefit the global society by fostering peace and prosperity, which is always a better alternative to war and poverty. That being said, fate has currently dealt us a different hand, so we must adapt. Many professional investors have once again turned their focus toward emerging markets (EM)… and their higher growth rates. However, pure play EM investing can be tricky. Most large, multinational corporations —… Read More