Trump's reciprocal tariffs: Big Four face flurry of trade playbook queries

The top consulting firms expect the current pace of activity to intensify in the coming days

Earlier this week, one of the Big Four firms organised a webinar on the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs. While usual attendance for such events is around 100–200, an unexpected 800 people joined the call.

 

At another Big Four firm, company enquiries related to the reciprocal tariffs rose from one or two a week in March to over a dozen a week in April. The consulting firm now expects what was earlier a weekly occurrence to become a daily routine. 

“We think this is a pivotal moment, and there will be a major shift in focus on trade as a consulting specialisation.