Cramer: Here’s why China won’t boycott Apple as part of its trade war with the US

“CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Tuesday he’s not convinced China will boycott Apple as part of the trade war with the United States,” Berkeley Lovelace Jr. reports for CNBC. “The Communist Party’s official People’s Daily warned on Tuesday that Apple and other U.S. firms could be vulnerable as ‘bargaining chips’ for Beijing.”

“Cramer, whose charitable trust owns shares of Apple, argued that China’s threat is like ‘playing with fire’ and that Apple remains one of the largest employers in the country,” Lovelace Jr. reports. “President Donald Trump is attacking what he sees as unfair trade on a number of fronts. Trump has asked his trade representative to consider increasing the proposed levies on $200 billion of Chinese goods up to 25 percent.”

“As refreshed trade-related concerns have driven stocks lower,” Lovelace Jr. reports, “Cramer has previously said all he sees is ‘endless buying opportunities.'”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: The tariffs are not the end game. They are bargaining chips and, due to the trade imbalance, the U.S. has 376 billion more chips with which to play than China ($506B – $130B). Hence the empty rhetorical threats from China’s state-run media. China’s running out of chips already.

This initial negotiation phase too shall pass. The end result will be better than the starting point.

I’m cognizant that in both the U.S. and China, there have been cases where everyone hasn’t benefited, where the benefit hasn’t been balanced. My belief is that one plus one equals three. The pie gets larger, working together. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, March 24, 2018

At least half of the popular fallacies about economics come from assuming that economic activity is a zero-sum game, in which what is gained by someone is lost by someone else. But transactions would not continue unless both sides gained, whether in international trade, employment, or renting an apartment. — Thomas Sowell, June 14, 2006

SEE ALSO:
Apple could be used as a ‘bargaining chip’ in the trade war, Chinese state-run media warns – August 7, 2018
Why the US-China trade war may not have much impact on Apple – July 17, 2018
Apple launches $300 million China Clean Energy Fund – July 13, 2018
What trade war? Markets shrug off US-China dueling tariffs – July 6, 2018
U.S. President Trump puts tech in trade war crosshairs with planned curb on China investment – June 25, 2018
The Trump administration told Apple it would not place tariffs on iPhones assembled in China – June 19, 2018
Chinese stocks end at 2-year low, Apple suppliers sink on trade-war concerns – June 19, 2018
Why Apple CEO Tim Cook is acting like tech’s top diplomat – June 18, 2018
Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t expect a full-blown trade war between the U.S. and China – June 5, 2018
President Trump and Apple CEO Cook meet at White House with trade the focus – April 25, 2018
Apple CEO Cook to meet with President Trump – April 25, 2018
Why Apple stock can withstand a Chinese trade war – April 5, 2018
Apple CEO Tim Cook heads to China as President Trump orders 25 percent tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese imports – March 23, 2018
BoA Merrill Lynch: Apple is prepping a ‘foldable’ iPhone; U.S. and China trade tensions not an issue for Apple – March 23, 2018
Designed in California. Assembled in China. How Apple’s iPhone skews U.S. trade deficit – March 21, 2018
President Trump blocks Broadcom-Qualcomm deal over China concerns – March 13, 2018
Elon Musk sides with President Trump on trade with China – March 8, 2018
Analyst: President Trump’s tariff impact on Apple would be just a ’rounding error’ – March 7, 2018

12 Comments

  1. China holds all the cards, if Apple continue to make everything in China, shouldn’t the split be 1/3 China, 1/3 USA, and 1/3 Europe going forward, Apple has the cash to make it happen.

  2. What the hell is Trump gibbering about? The US uses a massively disproportionate amount of the world’s resources and holds a massively disproportionate amount of the world’s wealth. Not doing too badly.

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