Harley-Davidson in Trouble

Harley Davidson is in trouble. The iconic U.S. motorcycle manufacturer has been struggling for a while, and as highlighted by President Trump this week, EU-imposed tariffs have further damaged the company. Threats of new tariffs from the U.S. as 'retaliation' should be taken in context though. The president's assertion that the EU is solely to blame for the situation is incorrect as the tariffs affecting Harley-Davidson were a response to Trump's original steel and aluminum tariffs - as so eloquently summed up by Quartz: "Trump threatens tariffs as payback for the tariffs imposed as payback for his tariffs".

Politics aside and getting down to the key figures, things are looking just as ugly in the latest earnings report. Revenue in Q1 2019 is down 10 percent on Q2 2018, while net income is languishing a whole 27 percent lower. Earnings per share, currently $0.80 is 22 percent lower than the same time last year.