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Trade troubles

Trade troubles
Lottie Tellyn
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The US’s trade deficit – the difference between imports and exports – ballooned from $92.8 billion in July. Part of the growth comes from rising imports of computer chips driven by the AI boom. US President Donald Trump introduced sweeping tariffs since entering office with the stated goal of reducing that deficit, viewing it as a sign of weakness in America’s manufacturing sector. At the same time, the US relies on a small handful of Asian suppliers, mostly in Taiwan, for semiconductor imports to stay competitive in the AI race. Even so, many experts do not believe trade deficits necessarily harm the economy.

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