After a dramatic surge yesterday on the news that most reciprocal tariffs would be paused for 90 days, US stocks are sliding again, giving back around half the gains they notched up on Wednesday.
After President Donald Trump announced the pause on Wednesday, the S&P 500 surged to end the day up 9.51%. The Nasdaq, Dow Jones and Russell 2000 finished up 12.16%, 7.87% and 8.66%, respectively.
This enthusiasm appeared to have waned Thursday. After opening slightly down, stocks’ decline gathered pace with the S&P falling 5.6% at 1:20pm ET. The Nasdaq, Dow Jones and Russell 2000 were at -6.4%, -4.7%, and -4.9%, respectively.
In his Wednesday announcement, Trump said that reciprocal tariffs will be paused for 90 days on all countries that are not retaliating against the US, while hitting China with a 125% levy. The administration later clarified that this figure comes on top of the existing 20% tariff for China, meaning Beijing faces a 145% tax on exports to the US.
Global markets had started their...