Comic-Con | Pakistan

Small business owners used the festive backdrop of Comic-Con on Thursday to discuss a sobering topic: the negative impact that US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs are having on the toy industry. “Not the most sexy topic,” Jonathan Cathey, chief executive of collectibles company The Loyal Subjects, admitted at a panel titled “Toys, Tariffs, and Trade Wars” at the four-day convention in San Diego, California. “But this ultimately affects you guys, it affects the end user,” he said. “Prices will go up, and our rate of sales will go down.” Toy companies have been fretting about the impact of Trump’s global tariff blitz on the industry, particularly when it comes to China. Of over $17 billion worth of toys imported to the United States last year, more than $13bn came from China. But a rollercoaster tariff row between Washington and Beijing has caused havoc for US businesses and their Chinese suppliers. Panel moderator Daniel Pickett argued that the Trump administration is “imposing truly exaggerated, some...