U.Chicago economist says tariff 'harms' won't be erased, even if levies stop

Economist Steven Durlauf, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, weighs in on the fallout from Friday's Supreme Court decision that the Trump Administration had exceeded its authority in declaring tariffs as being necessary under emergency conditions. While the move put an end to the previously announced tariffs, Durlauf discusses the uncertain benefits of the changes, noting that there are some monies that could flow back to consumers or prices that could decrease, but that most of the impacts will be more on the policy and economy fronts than to the pocketbooks of consumers and the coffers of businesses. 

David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs, says that technology investors could be headed for trouble as he expects the sector to roll over "and take several steps back," bogged down with more balance sheets showing an overload of debt.  He notes that tech stocks have benefitted from momentum investing and buy-the-dips thinking, but if earnings slow down — as he expects — and off-balance sheet debts hit home, the sector will lag other parts of the market.

Vijay Marolia, chief investment officer at Regal Point Capital says that he expects GDP numbers to come roaring back from last week's disappointment, noting that the 4%-plus growth he sees for much of the rest of the year is more than just recovering the gross domestic product lost late last year to the government shutdown. He does not expect that growth to be derailed by continuing trade-policy and tariff uncertainty, which reached new heights last week after the Supreme Court decision. Also in "The Week That Is," Vijay discusses his experience playing around on prediction markets and how that has led him to see that those platforms — which most see as a different form of gambling — will have real impacts on investment theory and strategy in the very near future.