Import Prices Prove Trump Tariff Claims False, Up 4.2 Percent Year Over Year
"Import prices were up 1.9% on the month. Year over year, import prices now up 4.2% versus 2.1%. It proves again that Trump was lying when he said that foreigners would eat our tariffs. The fact that import prices are up by 4.2% means that foreigners aren't eating anything. Americans today are paying 4.2% more to import foreign products, and then on top of that, they are paying whatever's left of Trump's tariffs."
About this episode
In this Friday Gold Market Wrap, Peter Schiff analyzed a week of dramatic precious metals volatility against a backdrop of surging inflation data that he argued validates his long-standing economic predictions. Despite gold falling 4% and silver dropping 10.5% for the week, Schiff framed the selloff as a buying opportunity driven by traders who misunderstand the bullish fundamental picture. The episode centered on newly released April inflation data showing producer prices surged 1.4% in a single month—the largest jump since 2022—while year-over-year PPI inflation accelerated from 4% to 6% in just 30 days. Consumer prices rose 0.6% monthly with year-over-year CPI climbing to 3.8%. Most striking were import and export price data: imports up 4.2% year-over-year and exports jumping 3.3% monthly to 8.8% annually. Schiff argued these figures prove foreign exporters are not absorbing U.S. tariff costs as the Trump administration claims, meaning Americans pay both higher import prices and tariffs. He emphasized the 30-year Treasury yield reaching 5.12%—a 19-year high—signals collapsing confidence in U.S. bonds and imploding real interest rates as inflation outpaces nominal yields. Schiff contended the Fed needs 200 basis points in rate hikes to catch up to inflation but will instead resort to money printing, making gold and silver the only safe havens. He criticized algorithmic traders for selling precious metals on rising nominal yields while missing that real rates are falling, creating what he called an ideal buying opportunity. Schiff also dismissed Trump's recent China summit as empty photo ops, predicted the AI and Bitcoin bubbles will burst, and urged listeners to accumulate physical metals and mining stocks through his firm Schiff Gold while prices remain suppressed.
Key takeaways
- Producer prices surged 1.4% in April, nearly the Fed's entire 2% annual target in one month, with year-over-year PPI jumping from 4% to 6%.
- Import prices rose 4.2% year-over-year proving Americans, not foreign exporters, are paying Trump's tariffs contrary to White House claims.
- Export prices jumped 3.3% monthly and 8.8% annually, revealing pure U.S. domestic inflation pressures affecting both exported and domestically consumed goods.
- The 30-year Treasury yield hit 5.12%, a 19-year high, signaling bond market loss of confidence in U.S. fiscal stability amid runaway inflation.
- Schiff argued the Fed needs 200 basis point rate hikes to address inflation but is so far behind the curve that dramatic action is unlikely.
- Real interest rates are collapsing as inflation far outpaces nominal yields, making gold and silver the only true safe havens despite short-term price drops.
- Gold fell 4% and silver dropped 10.5% for the week, which Schiff framed as a buying opportunity created by algorithmic traders misreading inflation fundamentals.