“The decision removes one of Trump’s fastest tools for imposing broad tariffs,” said ING bank’s chief macro economist Carsten Brzeski. But he also warned “this ruling will not bring relief” for long, as the Trump administration has been preparing to use other legal tools. Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at eToro, said the best-case outcome would be a framework that’s clearer and more consistent. That data poured cold water on hopes US growth was holding up and inflation was contained despite Trump’s tariffs barrage, and complicated the outlook for more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. British firms also boosted output in February, according to the purchasing managers’ index published by S&P Global.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 20, 2026 20:54 UTC