This pause in the trade war will be brief. Small businesses, plan accordingly

Trump's animosity towards China isn't going to disappear, and his past actions do not bode well for a quick resolution

Donald Trump's massive Chinese tariffs are on pause. The media debated. Wall Street rejoiced. Many of my clients breathed a sigh of relief. Big retailers jumped for joy. But for how long?

For starters, the tariffs that weren't paused - a 10% levy on all Chinese goods, plus a bonus 20% tax that somehow relates to fentanyl, are still in place. When you take into consideration existing tariffs on steel from previous Trump and Biden administrations, the effective tariff rate on Chinese goods is actually closer to 40%, according to an analysis done by the Wall Street Journal.