‘It's awful’: How tariffs, soaring fuel costs and higher interest rates are squeezing American companies

Fewer, pricier flights. Freight surcharges. Manufacturers hoarding inventory. Even bankruptcy. For American companies large and small, the combination of tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump 's trade policies, surging fuel prices from the Iran war and, now, rising interest rates is forcing executives to make tough choices. Allen Eden has been holding onto extra inventory for his 25-person business, the Original Saw Co. in Britt, Iowa, which makes industrial power saws for wood and metalwork, as he grapples with spiking prices for aluminum, steel and essential parts. One example: A "little bracket" used for his saw motors more than doubled in price this summer, surging from $42 to $87, he said. "It's awful," Eden, 56, told CNBC.