Trump's trade war imperils Spanish hatmaker's business with US Orthodox Jews

A Spanish hatmaker warned that a 40-year tradition of supplying felt hats to Orthodox Jews in the U.S. risked becoming a casualty in President Donald Trump's trade war. The community, which is mainly based in New York and New Jersey, buys around 30,000 hats annually from the 140-year-old Fernandez y Roche Industrias Sombreras Españolas factory in Seville in southern Spain, and in May began paying a 10% tariff on imports for the first time, the factory's Managing Director Abraham Mazuecos told Reuters. Trump, who has repeatedly criticised the EU for what he says are unfair trade imbalances with the U.S., has also recommended a further 50% tariff for EU goods, but on Sunday agreed to extend the deadline for talks between Washington and the 27-nation bloc for a deal until July 9.

Reuters

1 hour ago