Companies tone down price hike talk as tariff fog clears

Fewer global companies signaled price hikes in the third quarter, pointing to a change in tack as US trade deals facilitate clearer financial planning and firms seek to limit risks of losing sales, according to company statements and earnings calls reviewed by Reuters.
Results from Walmart capped the unofficial final week of quarterly earnings lined with other familiar US retail names, including Target and Home Depot, reports Reuters.
They revealed different strategies to tackle a spending slowdown by cash-strapped consumers, including discounts heading into the holidays, after the longest-ever delayed federal and halted economic data releases.
Reuters has trackedcorporate comments on tariffs since early in the year. At least 28 companies have explicitly said they were raising prices or had already done so during earnings disclosures since October 16.
By comparison, Reuters counted about 51 companies disclosing price increases in the second quarter and nearly 90 during the first quarter. To be sure, this list is not exhaustive and counts only key public companies that have clearly spelled out pricing action in relation to tariffs, and does not cover general pricing changes.
Data from market intelligence platform AlphaSense showed mentions of price hikes in the context of tariffs by global companies dropped by about 68 per cent between the first-quarter earnings reporting period, between April 15 and July 15, and the third quarter starting October 16.