India, Aug. 4 -- The U.S. government plans to impose steep retaliatory tariffs starting August 1st, including up to 30% on imports from Mexico, 15% on the EU, and 15-36% on key tech hubs in Asia such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.

With U.S. consumer spending growth revised down to just 0.5% in Q1-the lowest since the pandemic-TrendForce notes that the effects of front-loaded demand and stockpiling ahead of tariffs are fading. This casts uncertainty over the traditional back-to-school peak season in Q3, with MLCC order momentum clouded as a result.

TrendForce projects that the second half of 2025 is expected to see a clear split in demand. Orders for mid- to low-end consumer electronics like smartphones, notebooks, and ta...