The Neon Show How Trade Wars Reshape Countries and The Future of India-US Relations with Matein Khalid
These farmers lost around $1.72B in a single morning.
It was all because of tit-for-tat import taxes.
But what really happened and who were these farmers?
It all started when Donald Trump walked into the White House in January 2017, promising to take on what he called “unfair trade” with China.
March 2018, Trump slapped $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, aiming straight at the heart of China’s industrial ambitions—its "Made in China 2025" strategy.
This marked the start of the trade war.
April, 2018, Beijing hit where it hurt—Trump’s voter base.
It announced a 25% tariff on American soybeans, cars, and chemicals.
And it wasn’t just any random pick. China was the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, importing 60% of all U.S. exports.
The markets reacted immediately and soybean prices went into free fall, erasing $1.72 billion in market value by morning.
Farmers who relied on China as their primary buyer suddenly found themselves staring at massive losses.
In this episode of The NEON Show, Matein Khalid, a seasoned financial advisor, shares his fascinating four-decade journey. Starting as a teenage trader in Dubai, he later advised corporate boards and family offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the US. Matein talks about global trade, geopolitics, and economic strategies, providing insights on the US-China trade war, Trump's economic policies, and shifting global power dynamics.
Check out Matein's writings here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mateinkhalid/
Timestamps
00:00 – Trailer
01:17 – Introduction
02:38 – Matein’s early trading and wealth management
04:37 – Trump’s unpredictability in geopolitics
06:04 – Rise of China hawks in US policy
07:40 – India’s edge in US-China tensions
09:50 – Starlink vs. Indian telecoms
10:30 – US Steel and political influence
12:51 – China’s slowdown and unemployment
19:02 – US K-shaped recovery and inequality
21:46 – US debt crisis and risks
26:41 – Adani controversy’s geopolitical angle
31:17 – Possible end to Russia-Ukraine war
33:55 – Israel weakens Iran’s air defense
37:35 – Trump’s isolationist policies
41:02 – Trade and capital flows in forex
42:39 – South Korea’s political turmoil
48:04 – Syria’s proxy wars reignite
52:04 – Modi’s UAE visit boosts financial flows
54:34 – India’s entrepreneurial spirit
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Hi, I am your host Siddhartha! I have been an entrepreneur from 2012-2017 building two products AddoDoc and Babygogo. After selling my company to SHEROES, I and my partner Nansi decided to start up again. But we felt unequipped in our skillset in 2018 to build a large company. We had known 0-1 journeys from our startups but lacked the experience of building 1-10 journeys.
Hence was born The Neon Show (Earlier 100x Entrepreneur) to learn from founders and investors, the mindset to scale yourself and your company. This quest still keeps us excited even after 5 years and doing 200+ episodes.
We welcome you to our journey to understand what goes behind building a super successful company. Every episode is done with a very selfish motive, that I and Nansi should come out as a better entrepreneur and professional after absorbing the learnings.
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professio