Economists are rising extra involved concerning the path ahead for the US economic system as President Trump’s tariff insurance policies grow to be actuality.
In a analysis word on Monday, Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius slashed his staff’s 2025 GDP forecast to 1.7% from 2.4% whereas boosting their projection for the Fed’s most popular inflation gauge to finish the yr at 3%, up from a previous name within the mid 2% vary. Hatzius famous these updates mark the primary time in about two and a half years that his staff has projected GDP progress under Bloomberg consensus knowledge (which at present requires above 2% progress).
“The rationale for the downgrade is that our commerce coverage assumptions have grow to be significantly extra adversarial,” Hatzius wrote.
Hatzius’s staff now sees the common US tariff charge rising by 10 proportion factors this yr, twice their earlier forecast and 5 occasions the extent seen throughout Trump’s first administration. Tariffs weigh on the general financial outlook via a number of levers, Hatzius mentioned.
First, the brand new duties are anticipated to push up client costs and, due to this fact, reduce actual earnings for customers. Second, they normally come alongside tighter monetary situations. And third, the uncertainty surrounding the tariff implementation will doubtless immediate companies to “delay funding.”
Hatzius believes the mix of slower progress and sticky inflation can nonetheless depart room for the Federal Reserve to chop twice this yr in June and December. However for now, Trump’s coverage uncertainty doubtless retains the central financial institution holding charges regular.
“Our near-term view is that the FOMC [Federal Open Market Committee] will wish to keep on the sidelines and make as little information as doable till the coverage outlook has grow to be clearer,” Hatzius mentioned.