Trade dispute may result in higher US consumer prices

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Economists say American consumers may see an increase in prices if the US moves forward with proposed tariffs on 50 billion US dollars worth of Chinese products.

While products such as medical devices and airplane components are largely industrial, some residents are still concerned about price hikes.

“I'm concerned because I'm a single working mom and my dollar doesn't go very far as it is, so any increase would definitely cause me to shop less," a US school teacher said.

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And many consumers interviewed say they would think about a purchase a bit more but ultimately would buy the things they really wanted or were necessary.

Many economists say that even if American consumers pull back on buying goods imported from China, the impact on the US economy will be minimal.

"When consumers spend goods on imports, on goods that are made in China, there's an increase in GDP because they spend money on these goods. And there's a decrease in GDP because they've been imported. And so the impact of buying goods from China on GDP is very small," said Robert Brusca, chief economist of Fact and Opinion.