Tariffs Backfire: Factory Collapse, Layoffs Explode, Dollar Free Fall

The data is not subtle. Layoffs are spiking, the dollar is weakening, travel is slowing, private credit is cooling, and nuclear arms control just took a step backward. Here is what that means. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE - Why January layoffs reached their highest level since 2009 - What post-tariff manufacturing losses reveal about policy outcomes - How a weakening dollar affects markets and consumers - Why international travel to the U.S. is declining - What cooling private credit markets signal for AI and tech - What Gallup’s global survey reveals about economic anxiety - Why the expiration of the START treaty matters - What nuclear proliferation risks look like in 2026 - Why reports of Russian satellite interception are concerning TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Global macro stress and policy backdrop 00:24 – January layoffs hit highest level since 2009 00:54 – Manufacturing retreat post tariffs 01:22 – Dollar decline and implications 01:43 – International travel downturn 02:08 – Private credit cooling and AI exposure 02:35 – Global economic anxiety from Gallup survey 03:10 – START treaty expiration explained 04:06 – Nuclear proliferation risks 04:26 – Russia and European satellite interception 05:21 – Closing thoughts ECONOMY - Challenger report on record January 2026 layoffs: https://www.challengergray.com/blog/challenger-report-january-job-cuts-surge-lowest-january-hiring-on-record/ - Public concerns: democracy, economy, inflation, housing: https://apnews.com/article/poll-gallup-top-issue-democracy-economy-inflation-housing-2b04063cf966a7227715b85410fbd4fa - New START collapse amid global nuclear arms race: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/us/politics/new-start-nuclear-arms-control.html - Manufacturing retreat persists despite tariffs: https://www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-manufacturing-is-in-retreat-and-trumps-tariffs-arent-helping-d2af4316 - Travel to US fell: deep dive into travel economics: https://www.ft.com/content/8f6d4196-6f61-4be9-8cb7-1d93253e4e8b - Dollar crashing: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dollar-hits-two-week-low-093834356.html - Nuclear arms control era ends: implications: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/us/politics/new-start-nuclear-arms-control.html - Russia intercepts European satellites: space security update: https://www.ft.com/content/cd08c49c-658e-49c9-9a15-234f2bfc2074 - Why restarting nuclear testing is a terrible idea: https://youtu.be/g0RM9WZ0ybg Get the latest Good Revenue episodes: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/44me6PABSQ0k0GfphM70au Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-revenue/id1707461473 Newsletter: https://goodrevenue.io/