[Skybird]

The Brtis un derestimated Brussel'S ability to stay united and unmoved when vital key interests of the block are at stake. Neither did the Germans and their car industry come to May's rescue (as I predicted to Jim many months ago), nor was londown sucvcessful to divide the players on the continent and get single deals with this or that nation.



Trump currently seems to amke the same mistake. That Junckers accepted minor concessions (soy beans and liquid gas) for the sake of more important greater benefits, cannot hide that it was Trump hoping to get single deals withEWuropean nations, but he hasn't, and that it was Trump killing TTIP that the Europeans wanted: because of no tarriffs. Now the EU gets what it wanted: no tariffs. And some voting farmers sell soy beans to the EU. Okay, so be it.



You implied that China is acting weak. It isn'T. When Trump said: tariffs up to 50 bn, they retaliated immediately and in less than 24 hours with a similiar return. And they hold plenty of US treasuries, still. Trumps "800 bn, tariffs on evertyhing", so far is just a claim. Now, have you noticed what happened after Russia sold what was left of its US treasuries in the two months before the summit? They once had over 130 bn in US bonds, now they hold just 14 bn, and still selling. That costed your FED 0.4 poin ts in interests it has to pay more for newly sold bonds. And that translates into billions and billions, if you calculate all costs and follow-on costs and interests from that. Now imagine what would happen to your interest rates if China starts toi dumb its US bonds on the market and maybe even in a rush?

They are not weak. They just cushion the ball and make it reflecting, hitting you from an unexpected direction.

And lest face it, if they fully retaliate in tariffs alone, this would be felt in the US. Strongly.

BTW, the EU and Japan have signed a free trade deal that was expected to be negotiated much longer. The catalysator was Trump'S cancelling of TTIP and his threats to Asian economies. The Canadian-EU agreement was speeded up as well due to Trump.

Thank you for that. You made us a little bit stronger and mor eunited there. While the US so far is left out. But as the Brits say: splendid isolation!

Especially in an interconnected world with globalised production chains and delivery-on-time without reserve stocks seen as necessary anymore. Get isolated - and lose.