Economy in Brief

Low confidence French consumer confidence as reported by INSEE fell to 86.98 in August from 88.31 in July; the standing leaves that reading in its 21.7 percentile of data back to August 2004. This reading, which hovers between the lower 20th percentile and the 25th percentile, clearly indicates weak conditions and assessments on the part of French consumers.

Living standards past and future are poor The assessment of living standards over the last 12 months weakened in August to -74.2 from an assessment of -70.8 in July. Past living standards have a percentile standing in their 17.8 percentile placing them in the lower 20th percent of their historic queue of data.

Living standards for the next 12 months, a more pertinent reading, slipped to -63.9 in August from -61.5 in July. While the negative reading isn't as deep as for the past 12 months, the ranking of that rating is even worse in its lower 4-percentile! The expected living standards over the next 12 months have been weaker only 4% of the time back to August 2004. That is certainly a worrisome development.

Unemployment is more feared Unemployment expectations for the next 12 months moved up to an index value 55.6 in August from 54.2 in July and have a 73.5 percentile standing- a top 30% standing among historic data back to August 2004.

Inflation pressures exist and are tepid The assessment of prices for the last 12 months weakened to -8.5 in August from -6.1 in July; the past 12 months’ assessment of prices has 43.9 percentile standing, slightly below its median for this backward-looking horizon. However, assessments of prices for the next 12 months have a -26 rating, a higher reading than -30 in July and -40 in June; that bears a standing in its 52.4 percentile, above its historic median indicating that some further inflation pressure is expected- a bit more than normal.

Favorability to save The favorability to save and the ability to save over the next 12 months had dipped slightly in August, but they have very high standings as the favorability to save has an 88.5 percentile standing and the ability to save over the next 12 months has a 96.8 percentile standing.

Spending environment is still solid The environment for spending is somewhat mixed although generally quite solid and positive. The exception is the favorability to buy a car which slipped slightly in August and has a 39.7 percentile standing for that response which means that it's only less favorable to buy a car about 40% of the time. However, the favorability for home purchases and housing renovation, while both of them increased slightly in August, have standings in their 78.6 percentile and 88.5 percentile, respectively. The favorability to buy consumer durables improved in July and stayed at that reading of -4 in August; the reading corresponds to a 76.2 percentile standing which is roughly a top 25 percentile response.

This week, we explore how the new round of US reciprocal tariffs is reshaping global trade patterns. The US import profile is already being reshaped: imports from China have fallen as intended, while higher shipments from other economies, such as India and Taiwan, have broadly offset the decline, keeping overall import levels largely unchanged (chart 1). Coupled with steadily growing exports, this has improved the US trade balance. China, meanwhile, has absorbed the hit from reduced US export revenues by redirecting shipments elsewhere, particularly to its Asian trading partners. Substantial growth has been seen in transportation goods, including EVs, while exports of mineral products have declined (chart 2).

Looking more broadly, the current tumultuous global trade landscape—while having supported Asian growth (chart 3) through front-loading by US importers—now poses significant downside risks for the region, particularly with higher US reciprocal tariffs in effect. At the same time, the combination of these growth risks and cooling inflation has paved the way for further central bank easing across much of Asia. Many central banks have opted to follow the path of least resistance, implementing additional easing so far this year (chart 4), with further moves expected in the coming weeks.

In sector-specific developments with potential global impact, President Trump’s threat to impose up to 300% tariffs on semiconductors could reverberate through Asia, home to most of the world’s semiconductor manufacturing and the primary source of US imports (chart 5). This would also affect American consumers, given how pervasive semiconductors are in everyday products. Another potential flashpoint is rare earths: Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on China if it does not supply sufficient magnets, underscoring China’s dominant position in the sector (chart 6).

The new normal We have entered a new normal, marked by US President Trump’s updated reciprocal tariff rates that took effect earlier this month. Beyond the usual considerations—such as comparative production advantages, shipping costs, and geographic proximity—producers now must also account for varying US tariff rates in their decisions. They must decide whether to onshore production to the US, reshore from abroad, or shift operations to economies facing lower US tariffs. Given how fluid the tariff landscape remains, it is unsurprising that many businesses are cautious about committing to major, long-term investments. Moreover, with Washington increasingly hawkish on alleged “transshipments” designed to circumvent tariffs—particularly from economies like China—producers face added deterrents against simply re-routing trade flows. As shown in Chart 1, this new tariff regime has already reshaped US trade patterns. Imports from China have cooled sharply as the rivalry intensified and mutual tariffs escalated earlier. In contrast, despite persistent uncertainty over future trade actions, US imports from some other Asian economies—such as Taiwan and India—have surged, led by computer and electronic products. Overall, rolling 12-month US import values have stalled this year, while exports have continued to expand, resulting in an improved US trade balance.