Connect with us

Business

10 days and a $10 trillion market swing: How Trump’s tariffs changed the global economy, and what comes next

Published

on



In U.S. financial history, there are weeks that live in infamy—like the “Black Tuesday” stock market crash of 1929, or the 2008 Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, or the COVID-induced shock of 2020. To this list we can add the “Liberation Day” market meltdown triggered by President Donald Trump’s successive announcements of sweeping tariffs over the past two weeks.

The ensuing damage was enormous, as panicked investors sold off both stocks and U.S. Treasuries, leading to a $10 trillion wipeout in global equities between April 2 and April 9, when the president “paused” some of his tariffs. While the markets had recovered much of those losses by Friday, most major stock indexes are still in correction territory, and remain in a state of turmoil defined by wild volatility, as many traders fear there’s far more economic damage to come.

Amid the enduring chaos, a clearer picture is emerging of what happened, and what the potential long-term effects could be. Most obviously, of course, the tariffs themselves have caused the meltdown as, for the first time in nearly a century, the U.S. government has forsaken free markets in favor of mercantilism. On top of this fire, Trump has poured the gasoline of uncertainty, rolling out tariffs in the name of increasing U.S. industrial production, but implementing them in haphazard ways, and then abruptly reversing his decisions. No one knows what he will do next; communication between the White House and business leaders has been scant.

The capital markets have made clear that they don’t like what’s happening. In the most alarming development, many investors have reacted by selling off U.S. Treasury bills—the asset that for decades has represented the safest of safe havens. For the first time in living memory, some players have lost confidence in the U.S. financial system and are seeking security instead in Europe and Asia.

This erosion of confidence is being felt not only in the sell-off of T-bills, but in the sudden plunge of the U.S. dollar. Business leaders, who stayed mostly silent until the Liberation Day fallout, are beginning to sound the alarm about long-term harm to the American economy, while companies are scrambling to address upended supply chains and plan for the future. Tariffs, meanwhile, are widely regarded as inflationary, and consumers are increasingly frightened as they realize that the cost of eggs is not coming down, and that cars and many other goods could soon be punishingly expensive, if not out of their reach altogether.

In these unprecedented economic conditions, how should executives and investors react? To offer some guidance, Fortune has tapped into the expertise of its veteran business journalists to provide both sharp analysis—such as an overview of the “murder mystery” in the bond market that led Trump to flinch on his latest round of tariffs—and practical advice. We’ve curated some of our best recent coverage in a special report, The Economy In Crisis.

Our guidance includes a look at how some popular assets, including gold and Bitcoin, are performing, and advice on how to adjust your portfolio to account for a declining dollar and other potentially permanent shifts in the financial landscape. We report on how Walmart, Apple, and other Fortune 500 companies are adjusting to a climate in which free cross-border trade can no longer be taken for granted. Together, the stories help explain what happened in the most chaotic 10 days in the market in years, and offer a sense of what could happen next in an economic storm that appears far from over. Read on—and buckle up.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Stock market rallies after Treasury Secretary Bessent tells a closed-door investor summit that the tariff standoff with China is unsustainable

Published

on



After starting the week with a sharp selloff, stocks recovered most of their losses on Tuesday as the S&P 500 rose by 2.5%, driven by gains for blue-chip tech companies like Apple, Amazon, and Meta

The rally was triggered in part by remarks that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivered at a closed-door investor summit hosted by JP Morgan in Washington, D.C. As first reported by Bloomberg, Bessent told the audience that he expected the tariff situation with China to de-escalate while characterizing the ongoing standoff as unsustainable. 

Investors eager for good news after weeks of volatility leaped at the Bloomberg report, which was published midday, with stock prices jumping after steadily creeping up throughout the morning. 

The faltering dollar

While investors usually move out of risky assets and into the U.S. dollar during times of economic uncertainty, strengthening its price, the opposite has proven true amid President Trump’s tariff war. Fears of the U.S. government’s shifting policies have weakened the dollar against other fiat currencies, though the dollar stabilized on Tuesday as the market ticked back up. 61% of participants in Bank of America’s most recent Global Fund Manager Survey anticipated the dollar to decline in value over the next year.

That didn’t stop alternative investment vehicles from continuing their rallies. Bitcoin, which supporters argue can serve as a hedge against government-backed assets, rose above $90,000 on Tuesday for the first time in more than a month, with some analysts arguing that it has decoupled from traditional equity markets. Gold, long viewed by investors as a safe haven amid volatility, briefly rose above $3,500 an ounce on Tuesday for the first time. 

Despite Tuesday’s reprieve from the downturn, bearish signals continue to hang over the markets, including Trump’s threats to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. In a report published on Monday, Bank of America Securities downgraded its global economic growth prediction by 0.3%, driven in part by Trump’s volatile tariff plan. “We expect a significant slowdown but not a recession,” the analysts wrote, putting the odds of a recession at 35%.

The White House continues to push the narrative that trade deals are close with partners, including Japan and India, though the reality is likely murkier. On Tuesday, Politico reported that rather than full-fledged trade deals, any agreements will likely be sketched out as “memorandums of understanding,” with negotiations continuing for months.  

With earnings season in full force, market choppiness is likely to continue. The Elon Musk-led Tesla released its first-quarter results on Tuesday evening after its stock price had dropped nearly 15% over the past month. The company reported that its net income slid 71% in the first quarter amid competitive pressure from overseas and uncertainty around Musk’s role.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Grayscale CEO Peter Mintzberg interview: his plans for the future

Published

on

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Paying attention to these 14 risk factors can reduce your risk of dementia, study finds

Published

on

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Miami Select.