Are Trump’s Tariffs More Bark Than Bite? What Markets Are SayingThe heated tariff drama is reverberating across global markets with a different impact depending on the region and the asset itself. Some markets, previously considered highly sensitive to extra tax charges, are actually doing better than the dominant stocks on Wall Street. Or maybe that’s just the calm before the storm? Let’s find out.
🌏 Are Europe's Stocks Great Again?
European stocks are leaving Wall Street equities in the dust, contrary to investor expectations ( contrarians, hat tip to you ). Since Donald Trump officially stepped into the top job in American politics (and started the whole tariff narrative) the Europe-wide Stoxx 600 index SXXP has gained roughly 6% to date. Its US counterpart, the S&P 500 SPX is up about 2.5% over the same time span.
Europe’s start-of-year spectacle is so good it prompted Bank of America analysts to dig into the archives and realize this is the old continent’s best opening since the 1980s. That is, while European countries struggle to power up their economies and the European Central Bank is dropping interest rates fast .
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite IXIC has fallen out of favor and is languishing around with a 2.2% increase since Trump took office. Moreover, the elite club called the Magnificent Seven is barely getting by. With the exception of Meta META , which is up more than 20% this year, all the others are either underwater or head above the water.
By the looks of it, Trump is gradually rolling out his punishing tariffs but European investors don’t seem too scared. Earlier this week, the US President revealed his intentions to slap the auto industry with a hefty 25% tariff starting April 2. Drugs and chips got picked on, too, with levies in the same neighborhood.
The auto space in Europe is bound to feel the weight of that auto tariff decision. Currently, Europe’s car manufacturers are taxed with a 2.5% levy on their way to the US. In the other direction, however, the US is obligated to pay a 10% duty when it imports cars into Europe.
The proposed auto tariffs knocked Asia’s automaker stocks during the Asian session on Thursday. The Nikkei 225 index NI225 was trading almost 2% lower with the auto sector dragging the broad performance.
👀 What’s Happening Elsewhere?
Gold XAUUSD is apparently the biggest winner of the tariff threat. As long as it doesn’t get slapped with one. The yellow metal has skyrocketed to levels near $3,000 with a Thursday session high of $2,955 per ounce, breaking its record made earlier in the week . What a bonanza for gold bugs as their main asset is up 15% since mid-December with no corrections and no signs of slowdown.
The US dollar has been taking blow after blow, giving rival currencies some much-needed reprieve . The dollar index DXY , measuring the buck’s strength against six forex rivals, is down about 3% from its two-year peak in early January.
Bitcoin BTCUSD , the fire-breathing volatility dragon, has actually been pretty tamed up as Trump’s crypto working group has stayed mostly tight-lipped over the prospects of crypto-friendly legislation. Prices of the orange coin celebrated inauguration day with an all-time record but have slipped 11% since then to dive back under $100,000.
Against that backdrop, what are you loading up on? Are you stacking up some European shares and shunning their US peers? Or you’re after that OG token under $100,000? Let us know in the comment section!
