In article titled “Implications of rising trade tensions for the global economy“, ECB researcher Lucia Quaglietti warned of the impact of escalation of trade tensions.
Based on simulations carried out by ECB staff, in event of a significant increase in protectionism, “the impact on global trade and output could be material.” In particular, if US increases tariffs “markedly” on imported goods from all trading partners that “retaliate symmetrically”, the outcome for the world economy would be “clearly negative. And, “the impact could be particularly severe in the United States”
For other countries, those with “closest trade relations” with the US would be most negatively affected. And, “only a few open economies with little exposure to the tariff-imposing country may benefit from trade diversion effects, as they would gain competitiveness in third markets.”
In addition, the impact of trade tension escalation could be “felt via a number of channels. Higher import prices would lead to higher production costs and lower household purchasing power. Consumption, investment and employment will also be affected. Moreover, there will be economic uncertainty that leads to delay and consumer spending and business investment. Credit supply could be reduced with requirement for higher compensation. And there could be broad spill over to the global financial markets.
