
Sony will hike PS5 prices Thursday as a result of Trump's trade war
Why it matters: The move reflects companies starting to buckle under pressure from President Trump 's tariffs, raising prices or signaling that increases are coming.
What they're saying: "Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment," Sony said in a blog post.
"As a result, we've made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21."
The recommended retail prices for PlayStation 5 accessories "remain unchanged," however.
State of play: The new prices in the U.S. range from $550 to $750.
PlayStation 5 – $549.99
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – $499.99
PlayStation 5 Pro – $749.99
Catch up quick: The price hike wasn't totally unexpected.
Sony said in May that it was considering price hikes to cover the Trump administration's tariffs.
In April, Sony raised the price of PS5s in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand by 10 to 15%.
Sony rival Microsoft raised its U.S. Xbox prices in May by $80 to $100.
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Los Angeles Times
12 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Christmas decorations come with a higher price tag this holiday season, thanks to tariffs.
The Christmas decorations industry is hoping Donald Trump's tariffs don't ruin the holidays. The vast majority of artificial Christmas trees, lights and other decor are imported — mostly from China. Because seasonal items typically need to be shipped months ahead of time, stiffer levies have already added millions of dollars in unexpected costs. Jared Hendricks, founder and chief executive officer of Village Lighting Company in West Valley City, Utah, had to take a line of credit leveraged by his house and office to help cover the $1.5 million in extra tariff costs. 'This is the most stressful year I've ever had,' said Hendricks, whose business sells lights, garlands and wreaths to professional installers and consumers. 'Over the last 20-some-odd years we've been through a lot, and I'm just kind of operating on faith that we'll find a way.' As Trump's ever-changing announcements on tariffs rolled in during the crucial shipping period for the industry, managers from across the country said they had to cancel shipments, cut down on orders and lay off workers to be able to pay the duties. Some expressed concerns about staying in business. For shoppers this holiday season, the shipping disruptions will mean less choice of products in the stores and prices that could be 10% to 20% higher than last year as a result of tariffs, said Jami Warner, executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association. An artificial tree that cost $299 in 2024, say, could fetch as much as $359 this year. 'This is a happy industry, and this is a pretty unhappy time to be in it,' Warner said. By the end of August, much of the year's imported Christmas trees and other decorations have been shipped, and retailers are busy preparing for the holiday season when they make the bulk of their sales. Another question this year is whether uncertainty about the direction of the economy will weigh on holiday spending.'It's going to be a challenging holiday season for lots of retailers,' said Natalie Kotlyar, a retail analyst at advisory firm BDO. U.S. companies imported $3.4 billion in artificial Christmas trees, ornaments, and other holiday decorations last year, and 87% came from China, according to the U.S. Census Bureau trade data. In addition, roughly $420 million in light strings came from abroad, a majority from Cambodia, a country that also faces a high tariff rate. Trump often says that companies can avoid import levies by making their products in the U.S. The administration's America First policies, including tariffs, are focused on unleashing real prosperity for American workers with good-paying jobs — 'not cheap imports,' White House spokesman Kush Desai said in an emailed statement. Craig Batten, president of S4 Lights in Toano, Virginia, said he has explored making Christmas lights in the U.S. but 'found that that was about impossible.' The only place to get many raw materials is in China and Southeast Asia, and finding enough workers here is a problem, he said. Batten added a line item to his invoices called 'tariff impact,' but he can't pass along the entire cost of the duties because that would raise prices too high. 'We're taking a hit, hoping that our existing inventory that we got pre-tariff helps offset the sticker shock,' he said. When tariffs on goods imported from China temporarily reached 145% in April, American Christmas LLC, stopped shipments and canceled 10% of orders, said CEO Dan Casterella. The Mount Vernon, New York-based company, which installs holiday displays in places such as retail stores, corporate headquarters and Christmas sites like the Rockefeller Center, resumed shipping when the duties were temporarily reduced to 30% in May as part of a trade-war truce with China. After another 90-day extension earlier this month, the new deadline for a trade deal is Nov. 10. The rate could go up or down, depending on negotiations between the US and China. Casterella says it's impossible to plan for next year without knowing what the tariff rates will be. He usually starts ordering in October or November for the following Christmas. 'I don't necessarily disagree with the mindset of having tariffs,' Casterella said. 'It's just the uncertainty right now of that around them is making it difficult to run a business.' Three Kings Gifts in Cockeysville, Maryland, specializes in nativity sets and small chests of gold, frankincense, and myrrh — the three gifts given to baby Jesus in the Bible. Rich Terlep says he's used contractors in China since starting the company in 2005. For instance, workers use a tiny tip of a peacock feather to put the pupils in the eyes of figurines. It's a low-wage job that wouldn't be filled in the U.S., he said. Terlep scurried to get 11 containers carrying about 700 sets each shipped so they would land in the U.S. before the initial Aug. 12 deadline. He's decided to eat the tens of thousands of dollars in additional costs from tariffs. 'Everyone is hoping against hope that somehow or another sanity is going to emerge out of this because it is unsustainable,' Terlep said. At Balsam Hill, one of the leading companies in the holiday-decorations business, the tariffs bill is expected to come to about $15 million this year — up from $1 million last year, according to Mac Harman, founder and CEO of parent company Balsam Brands. To preserve cash to pay tariffs, the California-based firm scaled back orders, cut 10% of its global workforce of 350 employees, and froze raises and travel. But none of those actions come close to covering the cost of the tariffs, Harman said. The Christmas Trade Group, which represents small and medium-sized decoration firms, has requested a tariff exemption from the Trump administration. The group argues that domestic production is impossible, decorations are critical to holiday retail sales and that tariffs effectively force businesses to choose between operating at a loss and closing. Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, said he's heard from a number of owners who are concerned about the viability of their business. The Christmas Trade Group has been encouraged by conversations it's had both with members of Congress and the administration, said Josh Fendrick, a principal with Williams & Jensen representing the coalition. The White House didn't say whether the exclusion request would be considered. There's a precedent for relief. In his first term, Trump delayed some tariffs on Chinese imports, saying at the time 'so it won't be relevant to the Christmas shopping season.' 'We sell joy, we sell memories,' said Chris Butler of National Tree Company in New Jersey. 'If any industry had a shot at getting some kind of exemption from the administration, it would be us.' Niquette writes for Bloomberg.


Los Angeles Times
12 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Appeals court throws out massive civil fraud penalty against President Trump
NEW YORK — An appeals court has thrown out the massive civil fraud penalty against President Donald Trump, ruling Thursday in New York state's lawsuit accusing him of exaggerating his wealth. The decision came seven months after the Republican returned to the White House. A panel of five judges in New York's mid-level Appellate Division said the verdict, which stood to cost Trump more than $515 million and rock his real estate empire, was 'excessive.' After finding that Trump engaged in fraud by flagrantly padding financial statements that went to lenders and insurers, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered him last year to pay $355 million in penalties. With interest, the sum has topped $515 million. The total — combined with penalties levied on some other Trump Organization executives, including Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. — now exceeds $527 million, with interest. 'While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants' business culture, the court's disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,' Judges Dianne T. Renwick and Peter H. Moulton wrote in one of several opinions shaping the appeals court's ruling. Engoron also imposed other punishments, such as banning Trump and his two eldest sons from serving in corporate leadership for a few years. Those provisions have been on pause during Trump's appeal, and he was able to hold off collection of the money by posting a $175 million bond. The court, which was split on the merits of the lawsuit and the lower court's fraud finding, dismissed the penalty Engoron imposed in its entirety while also leaving a pathway for further appeals to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals. The appeals court, the Appellate Division of the state's trial court, took an unusually long time to rule, weighing Trump's appeal for nearly 11 months after oral arguments last fall. Normally, appeals are decided in a matter of weeks or a few months. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the suit on the state's behalf, has said the businessman-turned-politician engaged in 'lying, cheating, and staggering fraud.' Her office had no immediate comment after Thursday's decision. Trump and his co-defendants denied wrongdoing. In a six-minute summation of sorts after a monthslong trial, Trump proclaimed in January 2024 that he was 'an innocent man' and the case was a 'fraud on me.' He has repeatedly maintained that the case and verdict were political moves by James and Engoron, who are both Democrats. Trump's Justice Department has subpoenaed James for records related to the lawsuit, among other documents, as part of an investigation into whether she violated the president's civil rights. James' personal attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, has said that investigating the fraud case is 'the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president's political retribution campaign.' Trump and his lawyers said his financial statements weren't deceptive, since they came with disclaimers noting they weren't audited. The defense also noted that bankers and insurers independently evaluated the numbers, and the loans were repaid. Despite such discrepancies as tripling the size of his Trump Tower penthouse, he said the financial statements were, if anything, lowball estimates of his fortune. During an appellate court hearing in September, Trump's lawyers argued that many of the case's allegations were too old, an assertion they made unsuccessfully before trial. The defense also contends that James misused a consumer-protection law to sue Trump and improperly policed private business transactions that were satisfactory to those involved. State attorneys said the law in question applies to fraudulent or illegal business conduct, whether it targets everyday consumers or big corporations. Though Trump insists no one was harmed by the financial statements, the state contends that the numbers led lenders to make riskier loans than they knew, and that honest borrowers lose out when others game their net-worth numbers. The state has argued that the verdict rests on ample evidence and that the scale of the penalty comports with Trump's gains, including his profits on properties financed with the loans and the interest he saved by getting favorable terms offered to wealthy borrowers. The civil fraud case was just one of several legal obstacles for Trump as he campaigned, won and segued to a second term as president. 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The Hill
12 minutes ago
- The Hill
Witkoff calls Trump the ‘Michael Jordan' of dealmaking amid Russia-Ukraine talks
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