ECONOMY/GOVERNMENT/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “America’s corporate leaders are shrugging off a monthslong trade war, a protracted government shutdown and other looming economic threats, projecting that revenue growth in 2019 will be strong largely on the assumption that President Trump will reach a deal with China. They seem to be increasingly isolated in that view. In earnings calls and interviews, executives at some of the largest companies in the United States have played down what many economists and analysts see as possible obstacles to economic expansion both at home and abroad. In addition to the shutdown and the trade war, the challenges include recent signs of weakness in manufacturing data and slowing growth in China and Europe. Business leaders are instead expressing confidence that the Trump administration and Chinese officials will strike a trade agreement before midnight on March 2, when tariffs on Chinese imports are set to more than double, and keep the economy humming.”
–Emily Flitter and Jim Tankersley, “Corporate Chiefs Look Past Economic Risks and Pin Hopes on Trump for Trade Deal,” The New York Times online, January 23, 2019