Amazon warns against trade protectionism

'Trade and protectionist measures' might hinder its ability to grow, says Amazon.com

Amazon.com warned on Friday that government actions to bolster domestic companies against foreign competition could hurt its business, in a possible reference to US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda. 

In a routine description of regulatory risks in its 2016 annual filing, the world’s largest online retailer said “trade and protectionist measures” might hinder its ability to grow.

That language has not appeared in Amazon’s warning about government regulation in at least the past five annual filings with the SEC. However, the company has cited trade protection in those filings as a risk to its international sales and operations specifically.