Trump-induced tariffs led to a 5% plunge in the global construction MMI
US President Donald Trump announced on April 16 a tariff escalation from the previously announced 145 per cent to a whopping 245 per cent that has evidently caught the global construction industry off-guard and, in turn, caused a ruffle in sourcing downstream (semi-finished) metals from the world’s largest aluminium-producing nation, China. Transnational builders are now in a rat race with the sudden slap of cost surges, which has reflected in a 5.41 per cent plunge according to MetalMiner’s April Construction Monthly Metals Index, tracking everything from H-beam steel to rebar.
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Economists warn that the true sting lies in the unpredictability of the regime, deterring investment and complicating procurement strategies. Despite Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent branding the levels ‘unsustainable’ and market whispers of possible rollback talk, contractors remain on tenterhooks over erratic price swings that threaten project timelines and margins.
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