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23 Feb 2026

A trade-off between more uncertainty in the near term and a lighter tariff regime in the medium to long term

LONG-TERM: Morgan Stanley sees an opportunity for the President to alleviate some components of the existing tariff regime over time IN THE NEARER TERM: uncertainty will likely prevail in terms of which authorities will replace the existing tariffs, which sectors/countries will face more legally durable tariffs (Sec. 232/301 after months of investigation), and most importantly, what happens to the bilateral framework deals that are currently in place. That means the broader macro impact could be modest in the context of these two competing factors. Source: zerohedge

23 Feb 2026

Replacing the IEEPA Tariffs With a 15% Tariff Under Section 122 for Now Would Reduce the Increase in the Effective Tariff Rate Since the Start of 2025 from Just Over 10pp to 9pp

Goldman Sachs estimates that the changes will reduce the increase in the effective tariff rate since the start of 2025 from just over 10% to about 9% once the Sec. 122 tariffs are implemented. Source: Zerohedge

23 Feb 2026

tariffs collected by Trump so far

Source: Bloomberg

23 Feb 2026

Us Tariffs range from 8.3% to 15.3%

The headline: The trade-weighted average US tariff rate is now 13.2% under Section 122 at 15%. That's down from 15.3% before the ruling, but well above the 8.3% that would have applied with no replacement. Source: Global Trade Alert

20 Feb 2026

Number of S&P Stocks Beating Index Is at Record (Bloomberg)

Roughly 66% of the individual stocks in the S&P 500 are beating the index so far this year — which would put it on pace for the highest level of breadth in the market in records going back to 1986. Source: Bloomberg, Christian Fromhertz

20 Feb 2026

JUST IN: US Trade Deficit with China Shrinks to 21-Year Low

Source: zerohedge

19 Feb 2026

Although global markets have narrowed the gap with the US in recent weeks, US equities still trade at a roughly 40% valuation premium to the rest of the world.

That premium could shrink further if big tech companies lose their capital-light appeal due to rising capex and begin to be valued more like capital-intensive businesses. Source: HolgerZ, Bloomberg

16 Feb 2026

~$9.6 trillion of U.S. marketable government debt will mature over the next 12 months, the most ever.

That’s roughly 1/3 of ALL outstanding public debt that needs to be refinanced. Most of it was originally issued when rates were near zero. Now it refinances at 4–5%. The math: even a 2% average rate increase on $9.6T = ~$192B in added annual interest costs alone. For context, net interest on U.S. debt is already on pace to exceed $1 trillion/year in 2026, more than the defense budget. The largest refinancing wall in history is here. Source: @NoLimitGains on X

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