Voting for the U.S. midterm elections began on November 3rd, leaving control of both chambers of Congress hanging in the balance. Asian nations are preparing for a potential reboot of trade offensives by the Donald Trump administration, which is expected to leverage executive power to impose tariffs regardless of which party controls Congress. Nomura economists anticipate "more aggressive trade-related headlines" in the wake of the elections, including potential tariffs resulting from Section 301 investigations. Goldman Sachs Chief China Economist Hui Shan noted that for China, this will exacerbate bilateral tensions between the U.S. and China over the next two years.