华尔街下注“高院否决关税，美国政府被迫退税”，商务部长儿子甚至一度参与

Core Viewpoint - Investment banks on Wall Street are creating a unique "financial gamble" by betting that the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually rule certain tariffs imposed during the Trump administration as illegal, potentially forcing the U.S. government to pay back significant refunds to importers [1][4]. Group 1: Investment Strategy - Firms like Jefferies and Oppenheimer are actively facilitating transactions that match importers who have paid high tariffs with investors, primarily hedge funds, seeking investment opportunities [1][2]. - Importers are effectively selling their future potential claims for tariff refunds at a discounted price to investors, allowing for significant profit margins if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the challengers [2][3]. - The core logic of these transactions is that investors can purchase claims at a fraction of the potential refund amount, with hedge funds reportedly buying claims for 20 to 40 cents on the dollar, indicating potential returns several times the original investment [3]. Group 2: Transaction Details - Most transactions are sized between $2 million and $20 million, with very few exceeding $100 million [3]. - Since 2021, Oppenheimer's special asset team has arranged over $1.6 billion in similar transactions related to tariffs prior to the latest round imposed by Trump [3]. Group 3: Legal Context - The outcome of this financial gamble hinges on the Supreme Court's decision, which is set to hear arguments on November 5 regarding the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act [4]. - If the Supreme Court rules that the tariffs are illegal, the U.S. government may be required to refund a substantial portion of the collected tariffs, with net customs revenue from increased tariffs projected to reach $195 billion by fiscal year 2025 [5]. Group 4: Refund Process Challenges - Even if the Supreme Court overturns the tariffs, the refund process is expected to be complex, particularly for importers using commercial couriers like FedEx and United Parcel, as refunds are only issued to registered importers and may require documentation for each shipment [6].