A novela das tarifas dos EUA está apenas começando

A trama da novela das tarifas de Trump ainda não chegou a seus momentos de ápice, mas se enxerga uma rotação nas fontes de importações. No que diz respeito ao saldo comercial, por seu turno, tudo vai depender da continuidade do boom puxado por investimentos em alta tecnologia. Os efeitos deletérios das tarifas sobre o resto vão tomar tempo até o enredo se desdobrar.

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De-dollarization, Local Currencies, and External Financial Defense

The international monetary system has been dominated by the U.S. dollar since the Second World War. The hegemony of the greenback cut across the end of the dollar exchange standard established by the Bretton Woods Agreement, and came out from the global financial crisis—and the euro crisis—even stronger than before. The euro area and China are taking steps to strengthen the international role of their currencies, but surmounting the inner strength of the dollar-based monetary system cannot be taken for granted. This is visible in two aspects of the rising profiles of competitors to the dollar-based system: the growing use of local currencies in cross-border payments between China and other countries—particularly the BRICS—and the role played by the euro and the renminbi in cross-country financial safety nets.

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Global changes and effectiveness of innovation policy in Brazil

Brazil went from a quite impressive economic performance during much of the twentieth century to a period of mediocre growth from 1980 onwards. This shift has positioned the country as a textbook case of the “middle-income trap”. This paper aims to demonstrate how certain transformations in the international economy since the 1980s—notably the globalization of firms and industries—combined with a set of domestic challenges, disrupted the path of industrial and technological development that Brazil had pursued since the 1930s. In essence, growth strategies based on the scale of the domestic market ceased to be effective. The innovation and economic challenges the country now faces cannot be addressed without a clear understanding of these processes. The analysis carries important policy implications, centered on the need for less protectionism and greater internationalization of firms. Reversing the inward-looking orientation of Brazilian industry is a key objective for any policy aiming to stimulate increased business R&D and innovation.

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Brazil As a Special Target of President Trump’s Tariff Hikes

The costs of Brazilian tariff retaliation would likely be high for its economy, because of risks of even higher U.S. tariffs and because of Brazil’s domestic use of current imports from the U.S. At the same time, it is unimaginable that Brazil will fall into the trap of accepting a ‘political’ negotiation plan. Brazil will have to count on some eventual support from U.S. domestic opponents of the tariffs, in addition to any other trade matters that may come up in bilateral conversations between Lula and Trump that may take place in the near future. Beyond that, Brazil will just have to bite the bullet.

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BRICS in Times of Tectonic Shifts

This article assesses the economic performance of the original BRICS economies, relative to the growth and currency appreciation projections presented in the papers that introduced the acronym, prior to the grouping becoming a diplomatic, political, and economic reality. It also discusses the BRICS agenda in the current challenging geopolitical context, in which economic fragmentation tends to raise costs for the global economy and presents considerable obstacles for emerging and developing economies.

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Asian Economic Integration Led by Trade Liberalization: A Lesson for Other Regions

Developing countries have few options to deal with the ongoing tariff war amid unpredictable shifts in global supply chains. However, regional economic integration offers a strategic path of development in these uncertain and challenging times. Helped by geographical proximity and cultural familiarity, countries in a region can benefit greatly from promoting trade with one another, reaping the benefits of comparative advantages and economies of scale—if they are able to establish a large enough single market. Asia has successfully used regional cooperation and integration as stepping stones in its interactions with the rest of the world during the course of its economic development. Asia can thus offer lessons that other regions—especially Africa and Latin America—can benefit from.

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Lula’s BRICS balancing acts in Rio

Despite the exercise of BRICS balancing act, President Donald Trump threatened "extra 10% tariff over ‘anti-American’ BRICS policies". And, last week, he threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil, making references to the legal process against former President Jair Bolsonaro for a planned coup plot, as well as to measures taken by Brazil’s Supreme Court against U.S .social media platforms. Presumably, from Mr. Trump’s perspective, pursuing lower reliance on the US dollar was enough to push Lula and the BRICS off their balancing act.

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The Global Impact of President Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs: Implications for Developing Countries

President Donald Trump's "Reciprocal Tariff" policy, announced on April 2, 2025 (dubbed "Liberation Day"), represents one of the most significant shifts in U.S. trade policy in nearly a century. Trump’s policy imposes a baseline 10% tariff on all imports and additional country-specific tariffs that range from 10% to 50% for countries designated as having "non-reciprocal trading practices" with the U.S. These specific tariffs are determined based on each country’s bilateral trade balance with the U.S. Postponements and bilateral trade negotiations started after April 9, 2025. This paper develops a two-country general equilibrium model to analyze the economic implications of the originally announced “Reciprocal Tariff” policy, with particular emphasis on developing countries. Initially characterized by a trade deficit in the U.S. and asymmetric tariff structures, the model explores the effects of the U.S. unilaterally raising its tariffs to match those of its trading partners. We incorporate comparative advantage (CA), sectoral heterogeneity, and the interaction of tariff policy with monetary policy. The results suggest that while tariff equalization can reduce trade imbalances and improve U.S. terms of trade, it generates efficiency losses and results in ambiguous welfare outcomes. A calibrated policy mix is required to balance trade, inflation, growth, and equity objectives. While the administration framed these tariff reciprocal measures as essential for addressing trade imbalances and strengthening American manufacturing, our analysis identifies significant economic repercussions for developing economies. Key findings include the disproportionate impact on developing nations with export-oriented growth strategies, disruption of global value chains, potential reversal of development gains, and acute vulnerability for many African and Asian nations that face some of the highest tariff rates. The policy would likely trigger structural economic changes in the global trading system, with implications that extend well beyond the immediate tariff impacts.

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From Bretton Woods to Braided Path: Navigating MDB Dynamics Amid Global Shifts

Within an ever-evolving system of multilateral development banks (MDB) currently reshaped by four structural geo-economic trends, the emergence of new MDBs like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB) carries great geopolitical significance. Yet the new MDBs, attuned to institutional and operational realities, have not upended the MDB system. Their relationship with long-established MDBs such as the World Bank currently resembles not a fork in the road, but a braided path–marked by both convergence and divergence, cooperation and manageable competition.

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Placas Tectônicas Monetárias em Movimento

Caráter errático e incerto da política econômica de Trump tendem a disparar novos movimentos tectônicos entre sistemas monetários na economia global. Articulista afirma que o renminbi não se constitui, nesse momento, em uma alternativa plena como moeda de reserva, mas o euro pode vir a ser se tomar medidas, como tornar o mercado de capitais da Zona do Euro menos fragmentado e ineficiente

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