Second, the U.S. stock market recovered remarkably quickly from the tariffs imposed during the first Trump administration. Specifically, while the S&P 500 declined 19.8% over a three-month period between September and December 2018, the index had already recouped its losses and reached a new high by May 2019.

The administration’s whipsawing moves are leaving investors guessing. The risk is that this uncertainty comes at a real cost to the economy.