Copper Tariffs: A Risky Gamble for U.S. Industry

The mainstream news media has already figured out that the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs on imported copper of 50 percent would dramatically hike copper prices for American industry and raise the price of products containing copper for consumers, which is just about everything electrical. The reason is simple; The United States is a net importer of 45 percent of its copper needs according the U.S. Geological Survey. All right, you may say, so there will be some short-term pain until the United States develops enough new copper mining…