- The Dow Jones tumbled back below 42,500 on Wednesday.
- Equities are souring ahead of yet another tariff announcement.
- Investors are balking as the Trump administration widens its tariff scope.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell on Wednesday, backsliding back below the 42,500 level and snapping a recent winning run as investors recoil from more announcements to announce more tariffs from the Trump administration. United States (US) President Donald Trump has ramped up his latest round of tariff threats, with plans to target copper, automobiles and European goods, all while still threatening to impose wide-reaching “reciprocal” tariffs on April 2.
According to various avenues of information, the Trump administration still plans to move ahead with a wide tariff on all copper imports into the US, matching the Trump team’s recent 25% flat import tax on all steel and aluminum that cross the US border. President Trump also intends to announce additional tariffs on automobiles across the board, and European Union (EU) officials are expecting the Trump administration to announce a tariff of around 20% on all, or most, or a targeted group of goods, depending on what day it is and how Donald Trump is feeling at that time.
All of this may or may not be in addition to the anticipated “reciprocal” tariff package that President Trump intends to kick off on April 2, which countries may or may not be able to get exemptions from. Donald Trump intends to impose a matching tariff on other countries that have their own trade barriers on US goods, a rather perplexing approach to trade in general. President Trump has also floated the idea of classifying VAT, or luxury taxes, as a kind of pseudo-tariff on US goods, and including those in reciprocal tariffs.
US Durable Goods Orders eased far less than expected in February, increasing by a surprising 0.9% compared to the expected 1.0% contraction. The figure, while beating forecasts, still came in well below January’s revised 3.3%.
Policymakers have warned that the Trump administration’s long-winded trade war aspirations are beginning to hurt the US's economic prospects. Red flags are also being raised by key financial agencies: according to the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global ratings contingent, there is a 25% probability of a US recession kicking off within the next year. S&P Global specifically highlighted that “US policy uncertainty poses risks to North American credit conditions”.
Stocks news
Equities are down across the board on Wednesday, with investor sentiment getting pummeled by rising trade war fears. Tech stocks took the hardest hit, with the Nasdaq Composite tumbling 420 points, or 2.3%. The Dow Jones shed over 250 points, declining one-half of one percent and falling to 42,350, and the S&P 500 index fell 80 points, contracting by 1.4%.
Read more stock news: Procter & Gamble stock makes headway despite tariff worries
Dow Jones price forecast
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is set for a fresh downside challenge as the major equity index’s near-term bull run fizzles out. After a brief retest of the 42,800 level, bids are falling back and poised for a fresh decline to the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) near 42,090.
Technical oscillators show bulls still have some room to run, but it's a steep climb to recover record highs north of 45,000. On the low end, a backslide could mean an extended decline back below the latest swing low into 40,660.
Dow Jones daily chart
Tariffs FAQs
Tariffs are customs duties levied on certain merchandise imports or a category of products. Tariffs are designed to help local producers and manufacturers be more competitive in the market by providing a price advantage over similar goods that can be imported. Tariffs are widely used as tools of protectionism, along with trade barriers and import quotas.
Although tariffs and taxes both generate government revenue to fund public goods and services, they have several distinctions. Tariffs are prepaid at the port of entry, while taxes are paid at the time of purchase. Taxes are imposed on individual taxpayers and businesses, while tariffs are paid by importers.
There are two schools of thought among economists regarding the usage of tariffs. While some argue that tariffs are necessary to protect domestic industries and address trade imbalances, others see them as a harmful tool that could potentially drive prices higher over the long term and lead to a damaging trade war by encouraging tit-for-tat tariffs.
During the run-up to the presidential election in November 2024, Donald Trump made it clear that he intends to use tariffs to support the US economy and American producers. In 2024, Mexico, China and Canada accounted for 42% of total US imports. In this period, Mexico stood out as the top exporter with $466.6 billion, according to the US Census Bureau. Hence, Trump wants to focus on these three nations when imposing tariffs. He also plans to use the revenue generated through tariffs to lower personal income taxes.
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