Mercedes Car Sales Drop as Tariffs Crimp Demand in US, China
Updated on
Save
Mercedes-Benz Group AG's vehicle sales declined in the second quarter after trade tensions led by President Donald Trump's tariffs hit demand in the US and China.
Mercedes' global car sales fell 9% to 453,700 units from a year earlier, the German company said Monday. Sales dropped 12% in the US and 19% in China — two key markets where Mercedes models face import duties.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why It's Finally Time to Embrace Prebuilt Gaming PCs
Pre-built PCs now use name-brand components and have shifted away from low-quality parts to a higher standard. Upgrading a pre-built system is easy, since you can add storage or swap out the RAM or GPU. Pre-built PCs come with better warranties for all original components compared to custom-built systems. Are you looking at buying a pre-built gaming PC, but leery because of the reputation of pre-built systems? While the past they may not have been worth buying, modern pre-built gaming PCs are actually a great choice for your setup—here's why. In the past, I had always told people to avoid pre-built gaming PCs. They were known for using low-quality and cheap parts to save a buck while charging a premium for being 'built for gaming.' When I used to work in PC repair, I can't tell you how many no-name low-cost power supplies I replaced, nor can I even begin to remember how many junky motherboards blew caps after just a year or two of use. This alone was enough to avoid going pre-built—but that's all changed now. A shift in recent years has changed the landscape of pre-built gaming PCs. For a while, you couldn't get graphics cards (or any PC components, for that matter) unless you bought a pre-built system because of scalpers. Companies actually saw this and did something good for a change: built better systems. Yes, pre-built PC prices did go up some, but so did the quality of the systems. Instead of no-name bargain-barrel power supplies, many mid-range gaming PCs now ship with name-brand PSUs. The same can be said for SSDs, graphics cards, motherboards, and RAM. Another thing that happened was a lot of component manufacturers got into the pre-built gaming space. Yes, there are still brands like ORIGIN-PC and MAINGEAR out there, but CORSAIR, NZXT, MSI, and others now have pre-built gaming desktops that are pretty great, all things considered. Rather than skimping out, many companies are now using name-brand and quality components, and everyone benefits from this. Of course, there are still bargain-bin PCs out there that use no-name components, but that's becoming the exception, not the rule. Something you might not realize is that pre-built PCs can be upgraded just like custom-built systems. A custom-built PC and pre-built PC is all built from the same parts—the only thing that changes is who is building it. This means you can swap out the RAM, SSD, graphics card, power supply, or even processor without a problem. While the new components won't be covered under the pre-built PC company's warranty (more on that below), you'll have an upgraded system. One of the biggest ways you can upgrade a pre-built system is by adding more storage. Since many companies are using name-brand and premium motherboards, there are typically a handful of NVMe slots on modern systems, with only one being used up in a typical build from the factory. Another way is by adding more or swapping out RAM entirely. Both the NVMe upgrade and RAM upgrade can add big benefits to your system while being easy and cost-effective to do. However, the biggest thing you can swap out in a pre-built system is also (typically) the biggest component—the graphics card. Yes, in a pre-built system you can definitely swap the GPU out, so long as the power supply can keep up. If the PSU is too underpowered for the new GPU you plan to add? Just upgrade the PSU at the same time. The warranty of a pre-built gaming PC is actually better than that of a custom-built—sort of. Pre-built systems are warrantied top to bottom for the original components that it ships with. Depending on what brand you go with, a warranty claim could result in either a full system swap or a single component swap. Either way, however, the brand will likely offer full system diagnostics to help determine what the issue is. Custom-building your own PC isn't quite so user-friendly in that regard. I have a friend who re-built his gaming PC recently and did a custom build. He just spent almost two weeks diagnosing what the issue was so he could RMA the defective parts. To diagnose the issue, he had to purchase new components to test things one-by-one in order to find out what was broken. This wouldn't have been the case had he went pre-built. So, if you're not super savvy on PC building (or you just want to take the easy way out), there's nothing wrong with buying a pre-built gaming PC these days. While the gaming community might see that as a lesser system, know that it's not lesser in any way. Pre-built gaming PCs are great options these days, and still remain one of the few ways to get brand-new graphics cards on release with any relative ease.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Indonesia, US eye wider critical minerals partnership after 'positive' meeting, top negotiator says
JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia's meeting with United States representatives in Washington on the looming tariffs went "positively", its chief negotiator said on Thursday, with both countries exploring a wider partnership in the critical minerals sector. Southeast Asia's largest economy Indonesia is facing a 32% tariff imposed by the U.S. from August 1, highlighting its strategic importance in global trade to lower it. Chief negotiator and economic minister Airlangga Hartarto told Reuters that he met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Wednesday. Airlangga's ministry said on Thursday that the talk covered tariffs, non-tariff barriers and commercial partnerships, adding that both countries will intensify talks over the next three weeks. "We already have a similar understanding with the U.S. regarding the talks. In the future, we will make an effort to wrap up these negotiations on the principle of mutual benefit," Airlangga said in the statement. Indonesia and the United States are eyeing a wider partnership in the former's critical minerals sector, with Airlangga's ministry citing the country's large reserves of nickel, copper and cobalt. G20 economy Indonesia is a major producer of metals such as nickel, tin and copper, and is also the world's biggest exporter of palm oil. In the tariff talks, Indonesia has proposed slashing its duties on American products to near zero and offered to increase U.S. purchases and investment in the country, amounting to a value of about $34 billion. Several Indonesian companies have recently signed initial deals with U.S. counterparts to increase purchases of energy supplies, wheat, corn and cotton, among others. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stocks mostly rise on trade deal optimism
Asian markets mostly rose Thursday on optimism that governments will hammer out deals to avoid the worst of US President Donald Trump's tariffs even after he broadened his range of measures. Negotiators from around the world have tried to reach agreements with Washington since Trump in April unveiled his "Liberation Day" tariff bombshell, with a July 9 deadline recently pushed back to August 1. Letters have been sent in recent days to more than 20 trading partners -- including Japan and South Korea -- setting out new tolls, with some higher and some lower than the initial levels. The US president also said this week he would put a 50 percent tariff on copper imports, while considering a 200 percent charge for pharmaceuticals. However, analysts said the threats are largely being seen as negotiating tools, and investors have increasingly taken them in their stride, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting all-time highs in New York. And David Chao, global market strategist for Asia Pacific at Invesco, painted a positive picture even in light of the threatened levies. "Should the US ultimately impose higher tariffs on Asian countries, the region appears better positioned to withstand the resulting headwinds," he wrote. "A softer dollar should give Asian central banks greater flexibility to ease policy to support their domestic economies without heightened concerns over currency depreciation." Asian stocks mostly advanced after a healthy lead from Wall Street, where the Nasdaq hit another peak thanks to a surge in Nvidia that pushed the firm to a $4 trillion valuation at one point. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta all rose, though Tokyo edged down with Wellington. The broadly upbeat mood helped push bitcoin above $112,000 for the first time. There was also little reaction to news that Trump had hit Brazil with a 50 percent tariff as he blasted the trial of the country's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. In a letter addressed to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, he called the treatment of his right-wing ally an "international disgrace". Bolsonaro is on trial over accusations he plotted a coup after his 2022 election loss to Lula. Lula said he will impose reciprocal levies on the United States. Brazil had not been among those threatened with these higher duties previously, with the United States running a goods trade surplus instead with the South American giant. Traders were given few guides on the Federal Reserve's interest rate plans after minutes from its June policy meeting showed officials divided on the best way forward. Boss Jerome Powell's patient approach to lowering borrowing costs has drawn the ire of Trump, who on Wednesday said they were "at least" three points too high. While the board sees the president's tariffs as inflationary, the minutes said there remained "considerable uncertainty" on the timing, size and duration of the effects. Companies might choose not to raise consumer prices until they depleted their product stockpiles, for example, but supply chain disruptions caused by the levies could trigger larger price hikes. "While a few participants noted that tariffs would lead to a one-time increase in prices and would not affect longer-term inflation expectations, most participants noted the risk that tariffs could have more persistent effects on inflation," the report said. - Key figures at around 0230 GMT - Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.5 percent at 39,610.61 (break) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.2 percent at 23,938.07 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,503.13 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1741 from $1.1719 on Wednesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3608 from $1.3590 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 145.95 yen from 146.30 yen Euro/pound: UP at 86.28 pence from 86.21 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $68.28 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $70.15 per barrel New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 44,458.30 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,867.02 (close) dan/rsc Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
