As far as Americans are concerned, the future of their wallets is looking glum. With inflation having hit 3% and unemployment rising to 4.4%, the third part of the troubled trifecta, US consumer sentiment, has fallen to one of the lowest levels on record. The final November sentiment index dropped to 51 from 53.6 in October, according to the University of Michigan. Views of personal finances were the dimmest since 2009.
For all the tariff hikes Trump has imposed this year, the US trade balance for 2025 is pacing an even more giant deficit than 2024, when it logged a full-year gap of $1.2 trillion. But there’s one area where the US is going gangbusters in overseas sales: Its intellectual property. Net sales of intellectual property rose to a record $12 billion in August, up 34% from a year earlier, according to Census Bureau data tracked by Bloomberg Economics. American corporate sales of proprietary rights such as patents or licenses to reproduce or distribute have been increasing rapidly in recent years.
President Donald Trump is expanding tariff breaks for Brazilian food products, exempting dozens of popular food items from a 40% levy. The decision could help bring down prices of coffee, orange juice and beef, providing relief for Americans struggling with high grocery bills. https://buff.ly/hA6D8j5
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