With more tariffs on Chinese imports set to take effect this month, holiday shoppers in the U.S. face a dilemma: buy the Apple iPhone 11 or Hasbro toy action figures now or risk facing higher prices later. On Dec. 15, in the middle of the holiday shopping season, the Trump administration plans to slap new 15 percent tariffs on $160 billion of electronics, toys, clothing, power tools and many other consumer goods. As a political economist, I usually write about how President Donald Trump's trade policies affect things like industrial production, employment and international relations.

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