Connect with us

Personal Finance

Here’s a potential winner from Trump tariffs: American tourists traveling abroad

Published

on

A customer at a food market in Palma, Mallorca, Spain.

Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images

As economists ring alarm bells over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariff policy on consumers and the U.S. economy, there’s a group of Americans who may benefit: tourists traveling abroad.

That’s due to the impact of tariffs on the U.S. dollar and other global currencies. Economists expect tariffs imposed on foreign imports to strengthen the U.S. dollar and potentially weaken major currencies like the euro.

In such a case, travelers would have more buying power overseas in 2025, economists said. Their dollar would stretch further on purchases like lodging, dining out and guided tours that are denominated in the local currency.

“Tariffs, all else equal, are good for the U.S. dollar,” said James Reilly, senior markets economist at Capital Economics.

The U.S. dollar has risen amid tariff threats

The Nominal Broad U.S. Dollar Index in January hit its highest monthly level on record, dating to at least 2006. The index gauges the dollar’s strength against currencies of the U.S.’ main trading partners, like the euro, Canadian dollar and Japanese yen.

Meanwhile, the ICE U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) – another popular measure of the strength of the U.S. dollar – is up more than 3% since Trump’s election day win.

Trump on Thursday laid out a plan to impose retaliatory tariffs against trading partners on a country-by-country basis. Specific levies will depend on the outcome of a Commerce Department review, which officials expect to be completed by April 1.

Wellington Management: U.S. dollar a 'hostage' to Trump policy

Meanwhile, Trump has imposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods. A 25% duty on all steel and aluminum imports is set to take effect March 4. Further, a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico may take force in March, after being paused for 30 days.

The Canadian dollar offers a recent example of the potential impact of a tariff, Reilly said.

On Feb. 4, when the Canadian tariffs were set to take effect, the U.S. dollar spiked to its highest level in at least a decade against the Canadian dollar, before eventually falling back when Trump delayed the duties for a month.

More from Personal Finance:
Here’s the inflation breakdown for January 2025 — in one chart
Wholesale egg prices have ‘blown way past’ record highs
How the U.S. has used tariffs throughout history

A trade war with China in 2018-19 during Trump’s first term also offers insight into the impact of tariffs on currencies, J.P. Morgan global market strategists wrote in October.

The Trump administration raised tariffs on about $370 billion of Chinese goods from an average of 3% to 19% during 2018-19, and China retaliated by raising tariffs on U.S. exports from 7% to 21%, the J.P. Morgan strategists wrote.

While other factors also influenced currency moves, trade policy uncertainty “tended to bolster the dollar,” J.P. Morgan reported. The DXY index rose up to 10% during tariff announcement windows in 2018 and 4% in 2019, they wrote.

Why tariffs are good for the U.S. dollar

The Federal Reserve would likely keep interest rates elevated to keep a lid on U.S. inflation, which hasn’t yet fallen back to policymakers’ target level after soaring in the pandemic era.

“We expect the USD [U.S. dollar] to remain strong in the short term, mostly on the back of US inflationary policies and particularly tariffs,” Bank of America currency analysts wrote in a note Friday.

(Their analysis was of “G10” nations: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and U.S.)

Based on available information around Trump’s retaliatory tariff plan, the average effective tariff rate on all U.S. imports would rise from less than 3% now to around 20% — which would add about 2% to U.S. consumer prices and temporarily boost inflation to 4% in 2025, Paul Ashworth, chief North America Economist at Capital Economics, estimated Thursday.

Trump: 'No exemptions' to reciprocal tariffs

On the flip side, other nations’ economies would likely suffer from the U.S. levies, Reilly said.

Take Europe, for example.

Europe might export less to the U.S. as a result, which would negatively impact the European economy, he said. That would make it more likely for the European Central Bank to cut interest rates in order to bolster the economy, Reilly said.

A wider interest-rate differential would result from elevated U.S. interest rates and lower European rates.

Such a dynamic would likely lead investors to move money into U.S. assets — perhaps U.S. Treasury bonds, for example — to seek a higher relative return, causing them to sell euro-denominated assets in favor of dollar-denominated assets, Reilly said.

In this case, higher demand for the U.S. dollar and lower demand for the euro may lead to a stronger dollar, he said.

The euro and British pound sterling are especially sensitive to such interest-rate differentials, while emerging-market currencies are less so, Reilly said.

Will the dollar weaken later in the year?

Of course, there’s considerable uncertainty over how the U.S. would apply tariffs on other nations — and whether levies that have been proposed would even take effect. Retaliatory tariffs from trading partners could blunt a runup in the U.S. dollar, economists said.

The dollar could weaken later in the year if the world retaliates against the U.S. and these trade policies “take a toll on the U.S. economy,” Bank of America analysts wrote.

Indeed, most investors expect the U.S. dollar’s strength to peak in the first or second quarter of 2025 — 45% and 24%, respectively, according to a Bank of America survey conducted from Feb. 7 to Feb. 12. (The poll was of 52 fund managers from the U.K., Continental Europe, Asia and the U.S.)

However, in general, most countries are more dependent on the U.S. than the U.S. is on them for trade, Reilly said.

“So they can’t really retaliate to the same extent the U.S. can,” he said.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Personal Finance

Here’s how to reduce capital gains on your home sale

Published

on

Martin Barraud | Ojo Images | Getty Images

As U.S. home equity climbs, owners are more likely to face capital gains taxes from selling property. But a lesser-known tax strategy could help shrink your bill, experts say.

When selling your main home, there’s a special tax break that shields up to $250,000 of profits for single filers and $500,000 for married couples filing jointly. However, you need to meet certain rules.

An increasing number of home sellers are exceeding those thresholds, according to a 2024 report from real estate data firm CoreLogic. Nearly 8% of U.S. homes sold in 2023 exceeded the capital gains tax limit of $500,000 for married couples, up from about 3% in 2019, the report found.

More from Personal Finance:
These red flags can trigger an IRS tax audit, experts say
Credit card debt hits record $1.21 trillion, New York Fed research shows
What shutting down the Education Department means for students and borrowers

Those percentages were even higher in high-cost states like Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and and Washington, according to the CoreLogic report.  

Exceeding the $250,000 and $500,000 exclusions is “becoming more common,” said Tommy Lucas, a certified financial planner and enrolled agent at Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo in Orlando, Florida.

Home sale profits above the $250,000 or $500,000 thresholds are subject to capital gains taxes of 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your taxable income.

Increase your ‘basis’ to reduce profits

Many home sellers don’t realize they can reduce capital gains by increasing their “basis,” or the home’s original purchase price, according to Mark Baran, managing director at financial services firm CBIZ’s national tax office. 

You can increase your basis by adding “capital improvements,” such as renovations, adding a new roof, exterior upgrades or replaced systems.  

Your “adjusted basis” is generally the cost of buying your home plus any capital improvements made while you own the property.

“That adds up over time and can bring them fully within the [$250,000 or $500,000 capital gains] exclusion,” Baran said.

However, you cannot add home repairs and maintenance, such as fixing leaks, holes, cracks or replacing broken hardware, according to the IRS.

Tax Tip: 401(K) limits for 2025

You also can reduce your home sale profit by adding fees and closing costs from the purchase and sale of the home, according to Lucas.

The IRS says some of these expenses could include:

  • Title fees
  • Charges for utility installation
  • Legal and recording fees
  • Surveys
  • Transfer taxes
  • Title insurance
  • Balances owed by the seller

“Maybe that gets you an extra few thousand” to reduce the profit, Lucas added.

Continue Reading

Personal Finance

A 20% S&P 500 ‘three-peat’ is unlikely in 2025, market strategist says

Published

on

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell in New York City on Feb. 12, 2025. 

Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images

Stock market investors enjoyed lofty annual returns over the past two years. However, 2025 may not offer a “three-peat,” investment analysts say.

The S&P 500 stock market index yielded a 23% return for investors in 2024 and 24% in 2023. (Those returns were 25% and 26%, respectively, with dividends.)

Three consecutive years of total returns of more than 20% for U.S. stocks is a historical rarity. It has only happened once — in the late 1990s — dating back to 1928, according to Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

“Do we expect an S&P 500 Index three-peat in 2025? In short, no,” Wren wrote in a market commentary Wednesday.

S&P 500 could still see double-digit gains despite higher yields: Strategist

The U.S. stock market has delivered average annual returns of roughly 10% since 1926, according to Dimensional, an asset manager. After accounting for inflation, stocks have consistently returned an average 6.5% to 7% per year dating to about 1800, according to a McKinsey analysis.

“We have been spoiled as investors” the past two years, said Callie Cox, chief market strategist at Ritholtz Wealth Management.

“Twenty-percent gains haven’t been the norm,” Cox said. “Twenty percent gains are the exception.”

What might ruin the party?

While history “isn’t gospel,” there are reasons to think the stock market may not perform as well in 2025, Cox said.

For one, there are many uncertainties that could negatively impact the stock market, including tariffs and a potential rebound in inflation, Wren said. A surge in bond yields might also pose a headwind, Wren wrote in a market commentary. (Higher yields could dampen demand for U.S. stocks.)

More from Personal Finance:
30% of Americans increased their emergency savings in 2024
These red flags can trigger an IRS tax audit
U.S. appeals court blocks Biden SAVE plan for student loans

Additionally, technology companies have been a major driver of S&P 500 returns in recent years but may not be poised for the same outperformance this year, Cox said.

Tech stocks suffered a rout in late January, for example, amid fears of a Chinese artificial intelligence startup called DeepSeek undercutting major U.S. players. Those stocks have largely recovered since then, however.

In all, a rosy backdrop of solid economic growth and consumer spending, coupled with relatively low unemployment, may push the S&P 500 up by about 12% in 2025, Wren wrote. That would be slightly better than the long-term historical average, he said.

“So do not be disappointed,” Wren wrote. “We think investors should be optimistic.”

However, investors shouldn’t let high expectations cloud judgment about market risks, Cox said.  

The current environment is one in which investors should “prioritize portfolio balance” and long-term investors should ensure their portfolio is in line with their targets, she said.

Continue Reading

Personal Finance

U.S. appeals court blocks Biden SAVE plan for student loans

Published

on

US President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt relief at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, April 8, 2024. 

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday blocked the Biden administration’s student loan relief plan known as SAVE, a move that will likely lead to higher monthly payments for millions of borrowers.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the seven Republican-led states that filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education’s plan. The states had argued that former President Joe Biden lacked the authority to establish the student loan relief plan.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

Continue Reading

Trending