I doubt there is going to be any attack on NK. The strike group maneuver is merely ment to discourage Kim and show South Korea and Japan that the US is still a reliable ally.
The common sentiment is "Shit, our allies and enemies are led by idiots. (Not to mention our own country, for the time being.) Let's hope nobody's crazy enough to do something stupid..."
> So the US will never increase trade with NK to appease its sociopathic dictator
Well USA has very good trade relationship with China and Saudi both countries that would come second and third in terms of human rights abuses. In fact Saudi is a close ally.
It appears to me that USA wants a war and not to de-escalate the tensions and bring peace. All this eventually will come a a huge cost for South Koreans and US taxpayers.
When was the last time sanctions really worked ? India and Pakistan have very good nuclear arsenals and continue to build advance weapons despite all the threats and sanctions. Russia did not return the Crimea because of sanctions. Iran did not abandon its nuclear program because of sanctions.