US Democratic win unlikely to ease firms' cost, tariff woes in near term, executives say

By Christoph Steitz, Yuka Obayashi and Emanuele Berro

FRANKFURT/TOKYO/GDANSK, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Global companies said on Wednesday that Democrats' capture of the United States Congress is unlikely to change their near-term outlook, as businesses struggle with higher costs of energy and raw materials and a stretched US consumer.

Some though welcomed the prospect of political stability.

Democrats seized control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, scoring sweeping victories in Republican strongholds for the first time in generations as tens of millions of voters delivered a scathing rebuke to President Donald Trump.

But it is too early to know what the results mean for the issues roiling companies worldwide, from tariffs and energy prices to inflation and consumer confidence.

Soaring costs related to the Iran war are the latest headache for companies making everything from food and drink to consumer electronics and cars, after contending last year with Trump's tariffs on imported goods.

High gas and grocery bills were big concerns among voters in the US midterm elections.

"What we need as a company in the US is political stability and a reliable economic framework. And everything which is embracing this is welcome," said Roland Welzbacher, CFO of German car parts supplier Continental CONG.DE.

"What it really means for us and for the economy at large remains to be seen, but it brings stability, which is good."

Global stocks and the dollar rose after the results, although chip stocks in Asia came under pressure, as investors expect the Democratic-controlled Congress to apply more scrutiny to AI. GLOB/MKTS

The election outcome could also have broad implications for the US fiscal outlook as well as sectors such as defence, healthcare and banking.

WHITE HOUSE COULD FACE GREATER PRESSURE TO AVOID TRADE WARS

While analysts said the White House may face greater pressure to avoid a return to the trade wars that have raised costs for American consumers, some European manufacturers expect little immediate material relief from Trump's hefty import tariffs.

The administration largely pursued its tariff agenda through executive authorities that do not require congressional approval, and those powers remain in place, said Andrew Adair, trade policy adviser for North America at German machinery association VDMA.

Congress could seek to roll back existing tariffs, but such legislation would face major political hurdles and could ultimately be vetoed by the president, he said.

"We therefore do not anticipate national politics to directly impact business conditions over the short term," he told Reuters.

Kenichi Hori, president and chief executive of Japanese trading house Mitsui, which generates significant revenue in the United States, told media that he will be closely watching US policy on tariffs, critical minerals trade and AI data centre build-outs, but he expects the business environment to remain "highly uncertain".

RESULT COULD BOOST VISITOR NUMBERS

The result could improve the United States' image abroad, which has been hurt by Trump’s tougher stance on immigration and trade policies, with visitor numbers dropping sharply since he took office.

"There might be less tariff-related irritation and a greater willingness to travel, which should have a rather positive impact on the aviation sector," Fraport CEO Stefan Schulte said. "But I wouldn’t overestimate the significance of this."

Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management, was among those to warn of gridlock in Washington, saying that federal funding runs out on December 11 and that Trump has promised to become "Mr Veto" against a Democratic Congress.

"Divided government means gridlock, and gridlock means noise: investigations, vetoes, funding deadlines, and very likely another government shutdown or two, or more," he said.