U.S.-China trade war pushed global supply chain near breaking point, new data shows

By Lori Ann LaRocco – CNBC

The trade truce reached between the U.S. and China arrived just as President Donald Trump’s tariffs took a big bite out of North American & Asian manufacturing, with a steep retreat in April purchasing activity after the rush to hoard supply, according to the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index.

“The pause on tariffs is a major relief for manufacturers in both the U.S. and China,” said John Piatek, vice president of consulting for GEP. “Our Supply Chain Volatility Index shows manufacturing demand in China is dropping steeply, and U.S. manufacturers are aggressively stockpiling key inputs to buffer against tariffs.”