Financial analyst says wait and see on tariff talk

Many are worried about the impact on a trade war on the American economy.

WIZM financial analyst Jim Naleid urges calm, even while midwest farm commodities hang in the balance in the trade fight with China.

It’s hard to see now, Naleid says, how just-announced tariffs on China will eventually play out.

“Overall, the issues you’ve got here are uncertain, for sure,” he said. “There’s been an awful lot of uncertainty about the stock market and the agriculture market.

“The bigger concern is longer term for farmers. How long can they sustain flat prices?”

Naleid says there’s complex issues associated with trade imbalances that need to be worked out.

Last week, President Donald Trump announced $50 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese goods and said they were the first of many. Stock markets have reacted in a seesaw way with uncertainty about those tariffs troubling traders.

“I think people just have to step back a minute and let this process play out a little bit further,” Naleid said.

The move initially sent stock markets into a tumble. Some of that ground has been recovered, after it was announced the U.S. and China would negotiate over trade.