Trump tariffs kick in, spurring more market carnage

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of countries took effect on Wednesday (Apr 9), including massive 104 per cent duties on Chinese goods, deepening his global trade war and spurring more widespread selling across financial markets.

Trump's punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession and wiped trillions of dollars off the market value of major firms.

Since Trump unveiled his tariffs last Wednesday, the S&P 500 has suffered its deepest loss since the benchmark's creation in the 1950s. It is now nearing a bear market, defined as 20 per cent below its most recent high.

Global benchmark bonds, assets perceived as relatively safe, were also caught up in the market turmoil on Wednesday, an unnerving turn towards forced selling that is sounding alarm bells for investors.

European shares fell on Wednesday as the US tariffs kicked in and US stock futures pointed to more pain ahead, following a grim session for most of Asia. 

Tokyo fell 4 per cent as the safe-haven yen rose more than 1 per cent, while Taipei cratered almost 6 per cent.

Singapore, Sydney and Seoul dropped more than 1 per cent, while Wellington, Mumbai and Jakarta also faced losses.

London, Paris and Frankfurt tumbled, with pharmaceutical firms taking a heavy hit after Trump said he would be announcing a major levy on the sector. Weight-loss drug maker Novo Nordisk dived more than 7 per cent and AstraZeneca shed 6 per cent.

Shanghai rose amid speculation that state-backed funds were propping the market up and the government would unveil fresh stimulus, while Hong Kong also rallied thanks to an afternoon bounce.

Oil prices lost more than 2 per cent, with both main contracts sitting around four-year lows amid growing fears that the hit to economies will batter demand.

China's top leaders plan to meet as soon as Wednesday to hammer out measures to boost the economy and stabilise capital markets, people with knowledge of the matter said.

CHINA VOWS TO FIGHT

Trump nearly doubled duties on Chinese imports, which had been set at 54 per cent last week, in response to counter-tariffs that Beijing announced last week. China has vowed to fight what it views as blackmail.

"The US continues to abuse tariffs to pressure China, China firmly opposes this and will never accept this kind of bullying," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a news conference on Wednesday.

China's central bank will not allow sharp yuan declines and has asked major state-owned banks to reduce US dollar purchases, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the Chinese currency faces heavy downward pressure.

Central banks in New Zealand and India cut rates on Wednesday in what could presage a broader move by policymakers to try to cushion the tariff hit to their economies. The US tariffs are another argument for cutting interest rates in Poland, central banker Ludwik Kotecki said.

"WANT TO MAKE DEALS"

Trump has shrugged off the market rout and offered investors mixed signals about whether the tariffs will remain in the long term, describing them as "permanent" but also boasting that they are pressuring other leaders to ask for negotiations.

"We have a lot of countries coming in that want to make deals," he said at a White House event on Tuesday afternoon. He said at a later event that he expected China to pursue an agreement as well.

Trump's administration has scheduled talks with South Korea and Japan, two close allies and major trading partners, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is due to visit next week.

The deputy prime minister of Vietnam, the low-cost Asian manufacturing hub hit with some of the highest duties globally, is set to talk with Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later on Wednesday.

German Finance Minister Joerg Kukies said that Europe's largest economy was at risk of another recession as a result of the trade tensions. Investment bank JP Morgan estimates there is a 60 per cent chance of the world economy entering recession by year-end.

US CONSUMERS

Some economists have warned that, ultimately, US consumers are likely to bear the brunt of the trade war, facing higher prices on everything from sneakers to wine.

Danish luxury stereo maker Bang & Olufsen said on Wednesday it would raise prices on selected products next month to account for the tariffs and other factors.

Nearly three-quarters of Americans expect the prices of everyday items to rise in the next six months, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The full effects of Wednesday's tariffs may not be felt for some time, as any goods already in transit as of midnight will be exempt from the new levies as long as they arrive in the US by May 27.

Trump's earlier across-the-board 10 per cent tariffs on all imports from many countries began on Saturday.

The latest round of duties, which took effect at 12.01am Eastern Time (12.01pm, Singapore time), is aimed at countries that are "ripping off" the US, according to Trump.

That list includes many of the United States' closest allies, including the European Union, which was hit with a 20 per cent tariff as well as industry-specific duties. The 27-member bloc will vote on initial counter-measures later on Wednesday.

Trump has said the tariffs are a response to barriers put on U.S. goods and are needed to fix America's trade imbalances. He has also accused countries, including Japan, of devaluing their currencies to gain a trade advantage, something Tokyo denies.

Japan's finance minister said trade negotiations with Washington could include foreign exchange rates.

Trump has signaled he may not be finished on tariffs.

In remarks to Republican lawmakers on Tuesday evening, he said he would soon announce "major" tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, one of a handful of categories of goods that have so far been exempted.