A top Federal Reserve official said Friday that massive uncertainty created by President Donald Trump's tariffs has caused some businesses to cut back on hiring and spending, threatening to slow the economy,

At this point, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, it isn't clear if the economy will continue its steady pace of growth.

Donald Trump’s tariffs are upending crop trading, delaying tractor purchases and constraining imports of chemical supplies into the U.S.

Lately, Wall Street economic commentary has been replete with ominous warnings. President Donald Trump’s tariffs are bound to cause an economic downturn, or perhaps even a recession.

If the US president moderates his tariff war against China, or if value networks find ways of “ China-washing ” exports to the US via third countries, the same can happen in reverse. Only if Trump is determined to keep ratcheting up protection to stop imports will trade and the economy fail to recover.