Tariffs, Turbulence, and Top Tens

Starting April 2, the U.S. is slapping a 25% tariff on all imported vehicles and car parts. President Trump’s announcement has sent trading partners scrambling, again: South Korea and the European Union are preparing to retaliate, while Mexico is hoping for a last-minute exemption. Given that half of all cars sold in the U.S. come from abroad, and even American-made vehicles are built with 60% imported parts, these tariffs could mean higher prices and fewer choices.

Meanwhile, Southwest, Delta, and American Airlines all issued disclosures revising their expectations downward, a worrisome sign that both consumer and business travel demand may be softening. If fewer people are flying, it’s usually not a great sign for the economy. Reduced bookings represent a somewhat harder indicator than recent “soft data” consumer sentiment reports.

Washington State Demographic Trends

Seattle just barely ranked in the top ten fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S., adding nearly 67,000 residents from July 2023 to July 2024, according to a recent release from the Census Bureau. Moses Lake, WA, a small but mighty contender, made the top ten list for fastest-growing micro areas, welcoming 1,629 new residents.