Even absent, Trump looms large at Davos as CEOs sour on his polices
Business leaders in both the US and China say they are reeling from the trade war, with foreign investment into the US falling about 18% in 2018
Davos — From centre stage in Davos last year, US President Donald Trump told the world’s corporate bosses that America is a great place to invest. It hasn’t quite turned out that way. Foreign direct investment to the US fell in 2018, and companies gathered at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss Alps this year say they are worried Trump’s trade war with China will dampen the global economy and business investments even further. One key complaint here this week: companies increasingly reliant on consumers in China have had to lower their earnings outlooks as the world’s second-largest economy cools. And while the US administration has cut taxes and regulations to attract new investment, a wave of caution is rippling through many industries in the US. “The trade war has been very damaging for the US agricultural economy,” said David MacLennan, CEO of US food and agricultural giant Cargill, which announced worse-than-expected results out of China earlier in January. “The longer ...
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