The cost of 'reciprocal tariffs' to fall on American wallets

On April 2nd local time, the United States unveiled a new "reciprocal tariff" policy, introducing a 10% baseline tariff on imports from trading partners, with higher rates for selected partners. Shortly after that, U.S. stock markets plummeted. Throughout April 3rd and 4th, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell by 9.26%, 10.53%, and 12.84%, respectively. This marked the most dramatic slump since the 2008 financial crisis.

The new tariffs roiled global financial markets and triggered panic among American citizens. Many fear that the rising costs caused by the added tariffs will eventually fall on consumers in the U.S.

According to Cable News Network (CNN), the U.S. imports approximately 439 billion dollars' worth of goods from China annually. The new tariff measures include a 34% tariff on Chinese products. As these goods become more expensive to land on American shelves, it will be U.S. consumers who pay for the extra cost.

Bloomberg offered a stark example using Apple's iPhone. About 90% of Apple's phones are assembled in China. The added tariffs will increase Apple's cost by around 8.5 billion dollars a year. If the company passes that cost on to consumers, the prices for iPhones in the U.S.will surge by 30 to 43%. That means the iPhone 16 will jump from 799 dollars to around 1,142 dollars. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, currently priced at 1,599 dollars, might soar to as much as 2,300 dollars.

On the afternoon of April 3rd local time, prominent investor and billionaire Mark Cuban urged the public on social media to begin "buying lots of consumables now". In his tweets, Cuban wrote, "From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory. Even if it's made in the USA, they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs."

Before the policy was announced, White House senior counselor Peter Navarro promised that the tariff strategy would bring over 6 trillion dollars in benefits to the U.S. over the next decade. But CNN countered that "most economists say US-imposed tariffs are paid by American businesses and consumers in the form of higher prices on imported goods, not paid by foreigners."

This means that U.S. consumers will face an additional 600 billion dollars in annual expenses due to tariff-related price increases, with each individual spending an average of 1,800 dollars more per year.

Senator Mark Warner said in an interview with Fox News, "That money doesn't come falling out of the sky. That money comes because (the price of) these products will go up, and Americans will pay more. It will be a drag on the U.S. economy."

On April 5th local time, more than a thousand protests were held across the United States in opposition to recent government policies and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. These protests, themed "Hands Off," spanned all 50 states and drew over 500,000 people to participate in about 1,300 demonstrations, according to organizers. The U.S. media reported that public anger over weakened labor rights, a dismantled healthcare system, and the soaring cost of living was at the heart of the protests.

Source: Lingna on the Cloud

“对等关税”的成本，将由美国消费者承担

当地时间4月2日，美国宣布“对等关税”举措，即美国对贸易伙伴设立10%的“最低基准关税”，并对某些贸易伙伴征收更高关税。随后，美股暴跌。4月3日、4日两个交易日，美国道琼斯工业指数、标普500指数和纳斯达克综合指数分别累计下跌9.26%、10.53%和12.84%。这是自2008年金融危机以来，美国股市遭遇的最大跌幅。

美国政府挥舞“关税大棒”，不仅扰乱全球金融市场造成美股暴跌，也引发了美国民众的恐慌。美国民众普遍担心，“对全世界加征关税造成的成本，将由美国消费者承担”。

根据美国有线新闻网（CNN）的数据，美国每年要从中国进口大约价值4390亿美元的商品，此次美国政府对中国商品加征34%的关税，其中造成的中国产品在美国价格上涨的部分将被分摊到美国消费者头上。

彭博社以苹果手机为例算了一笔账：目前苹果公司90%的手机在中国组装，对华加征关税将使苹果公司每年增加约85亿美元的成本。如果苹果公司将关税成本全部转嫁给消费者，苹果手机在美国的售价将上涨30%到43%，iPhone16的价格将从现在的799美元上涨到1142美元，iPhone16ProMax在美零售价格将从现在的1599美元上涨到2300美元。

当地时间4月3日下午，美国知名投资人、亿万富翁马克·库班（Mark Cuban）在社交平台写道，“是时候开始囤货了”。库班在他的推文中说：“从牙膏到肥皂，凡是能找到地方储存的东西，都应该趁早买起来，最好是在商店补货前购买。即使是美国制造的商品，也有可能涨价，超市会把所有的涨价归咎于关税。”

“对等关税”举措发布前，美国政府的高级顾问彼得·纳瓦罗（Peter Navarro）说，新的关税政策将在未来十年给美国带来超过6万亿美元的收益。针对这一说法，美国有线新闻网（CNN）报道称：“多数经济学家称，美国对国外商品施加的关税将由美国进口商和消费者承担，并非由外国出口商支付。”

也就是说，因关税造成的商品价格上涨，美国消费者或将承担每年6000亿美元的额外支出，平均每个美国人每年多花1800美元。

参议员麦克·沃纳（Mark Warner）在接受美国福克斯电视台采访时说：“这些钱不是从天上掉下来的。因为关税提高，美国进口商品的价格上涨，美国人会支付更多账单。消费者的成本增加将拖累美国经济。”

当地时间5日，美国全国各地举行超千场抗议活动，反对美国政府和马斯克领导的政府效率部（DOGE）的相关政策。这场主题为“住手”（HandsOff）的抗议在全美50个州展开，据组织者估计，1300场游行示威活动参与总人数逾50万。美国媒体报道称，美国政府削减劳工权利、破坏医保体系以及导致全民生活成本持续上涨的举措，是激发民众抗议的主要原因。

文 | 记者 赵鹏

译 | 杨钧雅

英文审校 | 林佳岱