Don't panic, worst is over: Trump's trade policies mostly 'bluster,' says economist Peter Hall.

• Author: McKinley, Karen
• Position: NEWS

Peter Hall insists all the talk of anti-trade policies around the world from leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump is mostly bluster and wants to show others how to take advantage when economies start to rebound.

That was the main message the vice-president and chief economist of Export Development Canada (EDC) delivered at the Let's Talk Exports luncheon conference on May 30 in Sudbury.

He said he sees plenty of opportunities on the horizon for companies and insisted the global economy is starting a rebound.

However, it was not all good news.

He stressed that companies had to be ready and willing to invest even in the face of political uncertainty from the United States and the U.K.

"I'm being realistically optimistic," he said in an interview. "We didn't do this here, but at a conference in New York City we had some in-the-moment polls during a slide show and asked, do you think he (Trump) is going to blow up trade, do you think he is going to do nothing, or do you think he is going to do something?

"The overwhelming response was a lot of it is just bluster. That's in America, the heart of the financial centre with country-risk analysts. These guys knew their stuff and they know what's going on."

He offered his expertise on why seemingly counterproductive events like Brexit and the election of...