Every pencil has an eraser for a reason.
On April 2, President Trump announced new tariffs on nearly all major trading partners. These tariffs are “reciprocal” in that they correspond to tariffs each country imposes on U.S. goods and are on top of previously announced duties.
“All that glisters is not gold.”
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
Sometimes, even gold doesn’t “glister” as much as we think. Gold prices have reached all-time highs lately amid worries of economic uncertainty. But is adding it to a portfolio a solid approach, or a fool’s errand?
Clearly 2025 has not started out the way most investors would have wanted. The stock market has stumbled with the S&P 500 declining year-to-date. While tariffs have garnered the most attention, investors are also concerned about mixed economic signals including weak consumer confidence, hotter inflation, government worker layoffs, and more.
It looks like some tariffs will be imposed this week. Imposing a tariff is like using a chainsaw instead of a paring knife to cut an avocado; crude, messy, and generally ineffective.
Diversified Portfolios Can Help Investors Weather Global Policy Changes
