Washington and Beijing engaged in a tit-for-tat tariffs war earlier this year that threatened to effectively halt trade between the world’s two largest economies. Trump had threatened the tariffs hours earlier in a lengthy surprise post on his Truth Social network that said China had sent letters to countries around the world detailing export controls on rare earth minerals.
Rare earth elements are critical to manufacturing everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military hardware and renewable energy technology. China dominates global production and processing of these materials.
President Trump said he had not canceled the meeting with Xi but his tariff threats sent market heavyweight shares tumbling. Nvidia, Tesla , Amazon.com and Advanced Micro Devices all fell more than 2 per cent after the bell.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, in a BBC interview on Wednesday, warned of a heightened risk of a significant Wall Street correction within the next six months to two years.
“With equities at high valuations, this selloff is a sign of jitters,” said Gene Goldman, chief investment officer at Cetera Investment Management. “Everything is priced for perfection, so the uncertainty increases market jitters. All of this adds uncertainty to economic growth,” Gene Goldman stated.In April, Trump’s announcement of what he called Liberation Day tariffs stunned markets and sent investors scrambling, causing S&P 500 companies to shed a combined $2.4 trillion in market value.But some investors say the latest U.S.-China trade tensions are unlikely to significantly change the market trajectory, with AI remaining the driving factor.
“This is definitely a significant issue, and it could warrant a pullback but I don’t necessarily see it derailing the AI theme that’s been driving the market,” said James St. Aubin, chief investment officer at Ocean Park Asset Management.
FAQs
Q1. What is current tariffs on China?
A1. Chinese goods currently face US tariffs of 30 percent under tariffs that Trump brought in while accusing Beijing of aiding in the fentanyl trade, and over alleged unfair practices.
Q2. When will USA’s 100 per cent tariffs come into effect?
A2. USA’s 100 per cent tariffs on China would come into effect from November 1.