I’ve been a trader and investor for 44 years. I left Wall Street long ago—-once I understood that their obsolete advice is designed to profit them, not you.
Today, my firm manages around $4.5 billion in ETFs, and I don’t answer to anybody. I tell the truth because trying to fool investors doesn’t help them, or me.
In Daily H.E.A.T. , I show you how to Hegde against disaster, find your Edge, exploit Asymmetric opportunities, and ride major Themes before Wall Street catches on.
Keep an eye on the Income Blast website today as we will be announcing Monday’s dividend.
H.E.A.T.
TD Cowen’s recent report, Tariff Outlook frames 2025 as the pivot year where tariff policy becomes the main inflation wildcard heading into the election cycle. The research dissects importer behavior, inflation pass-through dynamics, and near-term catalysts — including the coming Nov 1 “Tariff Super Day”, when multiple hikes converge.
Core takeaway: The inflation impact of tariffs has been delayed, not dodged. Cowen sees tariff-driven costs re-emerging through Q4-Q1 as importers exhaust pre-tariff inventories, particularly in autos, seasonal goods, and high-tariff consumer categories.
1. Inventory Games: How Importers Are Dodging the Tariff Hit
Importers have relied on bonded warehouses and Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) to delay duty payments, creating an artificial calm in CPI prints.
Page 4 chart: massive Jan-Feb 2025 outflows from FTZs (importers clearing cheap inventory before Trump’s Feb tariff hikes).
Since March: record net inflows — importers restocking in FTZs to defer paying the new 25–30 % tariffs.
TD Cowen: “The effective tariff rate on autos from Canada/Mexico is now almost at the full statutory 25 %,” implying no cheap inventory left.
👉 Implication
Inflation has stayed soft because of delayed recognition, not because tariffs don’t bite. As these warehouses unload, core-goods CPI should firm, especially in:
Autos
Smartphones/AI servers
Petroleum products
2. Autos & North America: USMCA Frictions Ahead
Autos dominate tariff exposure — Canada/Mexico vehicles are now near the 25 % effective rate (page 9 chart).
USMCA exemptions based on U.S. content are less used than expected; compliance costs and paperwork are slowing utilization.
Cowen notes a July spike in outflows from FTZs as importers finally cleared duty-free inventory.
Translation: the next batches of cars hitting U.S. lots are full-tariff vehicles.
Winners / Losers
Theme | Potential Winners | Likely Losers |
|---|---|---|
U.S.-based automakers | $GM, $F (benefit from price umbrella) | Canadian & Mexican OEMs shipping to U.S. |
EV & hybrid supply chains | $TM, $F, $GM (domestic EVs exempt) | Import-heavy luxury brands ($VWAGY, $BMWYY) |
Domestic parts & logistics | LKQ, CWH, GPC | Cross-border tier-1 suppliers |
3. Inflation Pass-Through Still Coming
Despite the tariff wave, core-goods CPI is roughly flat YTD 2025 (page 10).
Cowen credits pre-tariff stockpiles and demand softness in big-ticket items.
They warn the lag ends Q4 ’25–Q1 ’26 as “sheltered goods exit FTZs.”
Holiday watchlist: high-tariff, low-weight CPI items like toys, apparel, electronics, and Christmas trees could cause visible sticker shock — even if CPI math barely moves (pages 11–13).
Example: artificial Christmas trees face a 35 % tariff, almost all sourced from China.
Cowen expects an importer dilemma: pay duties now or risk 100 % rates in Nov.
4. Inflation Psychology Matters More Than CPI Weight
Page 11’s “egg-price” example: a 0.16 % CPI weight still dominated public inflation perception.
Expect the same with holiday goods and visible durables — toys, décor, apparel.
Cowen warns this perception channel could hit confidence harder than the headline CPI change suggests.
5. Trade-Policy Calendar: “Tariff Super Day” & USMCA Review
Upcoming catalysts (page 3 table):
Oct 14: Section 232 tariffs on timber/lumber.
Nov 1: 100 % tariffs on China + Mexico tariff pause ends (25 → 30 %).
Nov 10: Second 90-day China pause expires (30 → 145 %).
Nov 17: USTR hearing on USMCA renewal.
Year-end: Supreme Court ruling on IEEPA tariff powers.
USMCA review (page 14 scenario map):
Shift to annual reviews — keeps uncertainty high (base case).
Extend 16 years — market-positive for North American manufacturers.
Withdraw after 6-month notice — tail risk, but a Trump lever.
Key friction points:
Rules of origin (autos, computers)
Transshipment from China via Mexico & Canada
Dairy market access
TD Cowen idea: a “KORUS-style” deal — baseline 10 % tariff, purchase quotas, and Section 232 relief for compliant partners.
6. Section 232 Tariffs Are Multiplying
Pages 15-16 charts:
Active 232 tariffs on steel (50 %), autos (25 %), auto parts (25 %), copper (50 %), timber/lumber (10–25 %), trucks (25 %).
New investigations: pharma, semis, critical minerals, drones, wind turbines, robotics, PPE.
These cover exactly the sectors that powered the 2023–24 rally — AI infrastructure, renewables, and defense inputs.
→ Expect margin pressure and potential supply squeezes in AI-linked hardware and clean-tech manufacturing by mid-2026.
7. Macro Implications — and Trades That Make Sense
Theme | TD Cowen View | Rebel Finance Take |
|---|---|---|
Inflation | CPI impact delayed → builds late Q4 | Core goods inflation = resurgent risk for Fed; buy TIPS steepeners vs. nominals |
Tariff shelter unwind | Inventory exits FTZs | Long U.S. wholesalers with inventory pricing power ($COST, $ORLY) |
Autos & USMCA | Higher import costs → pricing power for U.S. OEMs | Long $GM / $F pairs vs. short import luxury auto basket |
Section 232 wave | Expanding to AI hardware & clean tech | Long domestic energy/industrial names ($ETN, $CEG, $NUE, $STLD) vs. short import-dependent tech manufacturers |
Sentiment risk | Holiday sticker-shock hits confidence | Short-term consumer discretionary puts; long select staples |
8. Key Quote From the Report
“Inflation from tariffs has been muted so far — but only because firms stocked up before the storm. As those goods exit storage, the real pass-through begins.” — TD Cowen Tariff Outlook (Oct 15 2025)
9. Big Picture
The tariff regime is morphing from policy theater into macro reality.
Inflation relief from pre-tariff stockpiles is ending just as AI capex and energy inputs stay hot.
USMCA review + Section 232 expansion = next year’s trade-inflation cocktail.
The right trade expression isn’t to fade tariffs — it’s to own the domestic beneficiaries and hedge the FX and consumer pain.
Positioning Ideas
Longs: $GM, $F, $ETN, $CEG, $NUE, $STLD, $COST, $ORLY, $TIP.
Shorts / Hedges: Import-heavy autos ($VWAGY, $BMWYY), and consumer discretionary retailers sensitive to holiday sticker shock.
What’s Moving Markets Today
Once again the dip buyers have been rewarded, markets were green yesterday and are green today. The biggest story of the past couple of days may be NVDA vs. AMD after the Open AI announcement. NVDA was flat yesterday and is trying to hang onto it’s 50 day moving average…
AMD on other other hand is kicking it’s ass every since the Open AI deal was announced….
We talked about it in yesterday’s newsletter and in the podcast. I often talk about how NVDA is the obvious winner in AI and how it’s a must own. What are the implications if we live in a world where that’s no longer true?
AVGO did not replace NVDA and it’s unlikely AMD will either. But if NVDA no longer has a monopoly does it’s premium go away? Also, can Open AI deliver on it’s spending promises? This is something we are going to be keeping an eye on. I’m not betting against NVDA, so for now perhaps you have more than one obvious winner in AI.
At some point, does all this creative financing and companies tied to Open AI unravel this whole rally? Maybe, but yesterday Taiwan Semi announced blockbuster results on AI chip demand.
How Else I Can Help You Beat Wall Street at it’s Own Game
Inside H.E.A.T. is our monthly webinar series, sign up for this month’s webinar below….
Why Covered Call ETFs Suck-And What To Do Instead
Thursday October 23rd 2-3PM EST
Covered call ETFs are everywhere — and everyone thinks they’ve found a “safe” way to collect yield in a sideways market.
The truth?
Most of them suck.
They cap your upside, mislead investors with “yield” that’s really your own money coming back, and often trail just owning the stock by a mile.
Join me for a brutally honest breakdown of how these funds actually work — and what you should be doing instead.
What You’ll Learn:
🔥 Why “high yield” covered call ETFs are often just returning your own capital
📉 How most call-writing strategies quietly destroy compounding
🚫 Why owning covered calls in bull markets is like running a marathon in a weighted vest
💡 The simple structure that can fix these problems — and where the real daily income opportunities are hiding
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