{"id":34041,"date":"2025-07-10T11:52:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=34041"},"modified":"2025-07-10T11:52:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:52:55","slug":"market-volatility-recedes-as-investors-brush-off-trumps-tariff-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=34041","title":{"rendered":"Market volatility recedes as investors brush off Trump\u2019s tariff threats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__content-sign-up-topic-description o3-type-body-base\">Your guide to what Trump\u2019s second term means for Washington, business and the world<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"article__content-sign-up-iframe close\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"signUpIframe\" data-prev-url=\"\/register\/in-article-sign-up?ft-content-uuid=5af6b3eb-1508-4073-bf9c-b60066d0dfc9&amp;newsletter-id=65b8fec772badb00166eafc6\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>Market volatility has dropped to near its lowest levels of the year and stocks are trading at record highs as anxiety over Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs melts away despite the latest escalation of his trade war.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia led a surge in tech stocks this week as the chipmaker reached an unprecedented $4tn valuation, while the Vix index, a measure of short-term expected volatility in the S&amp;P 500, has fallen to 16, well below its long-run average of about 20.<\/p>\n<p>A similar index for expected volatility in the US government bond market is close to its lowest levels in three years.<\/p>\n<p>The moves come even as the US president has unleashed a barrage of fresh trade threats this week, including a 50 per cent tariff on copper, 200 per cent on the pharmaceutical sector, and levies on countries including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t care about tariffs any more,\u201d said Max Kettner, head of multi-asset strategy at HSBC. \u201cThis is all self-imposed. What\u2019s to stop them saying, let\u2019s give it another three months?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s latest moves on tariffs bring their levels closer than some analysts had expected to the steep duties he unveiled in early April on dozens of US trading partners.<\/p>\n<p>However, those initial so-called \u201creciprocal\u201d tariffs were later postponed and renegotiated after stocks cratered, and Trump then pushed back the deadline for implementing the duties again from July 9 to August.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"n-content-image n-content-image--full\" data-component=\"image-set\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 700px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c12f70a-75e3-4108-8aa4-df2190d51eaf?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=1 1x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c12f70a-75e3-4108-8aa4-df2190d51eaf?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=2 2x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c12f70a-75e3-4108-8aa4-df2190d51eaf?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=3 3x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c12f70a-75e3-4108-8aa4-df2190d51eaf?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=4 4x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c12f70a-75e3-4108-8aa4-df2190d51eaf?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=5 5x\" width=\"3500\" height=\"2500\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 490px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Ad65a9d82-bc94-4acf-b5a9-06900ec6de33?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=1 1x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Ad65a9d82-bc94-4acf-b5a9-06900ec6de33?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=2 2x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Ad65a9d82-bc94-4acf-b5a9-06900ec6de33?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=3 3x\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\"\/><\/picture><\/figure>\n<p>As a result, investors are now taking the US president\u2019s current threats much less seriously than they took his early rhetoric, and are betting that the president will ultimately step back from tariffs that seriously harm US growth.<\/p>\n<p>The trade has become known in markets as \u201cTaco\u201d, an acronym for \u201cTrump Always Chickens Out\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay 12 onwards, that was the big game-changer,\u201d said Kettner, referring to the date the US struck a deal with China in which both sides sharply reduced their previously planned tariffs, prompting investors to move back into risky assets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe learned that there is a Trump put,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Matthias Scheiber, head of multi-asset at US asset manager Allspring Investments, said: \u201cI can see it being tested, but would expect the Taco trade to stay, with any volatility presenting a buying opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In currency markets, Trump\u2019s threat of 50 per cent tariffs on Brazil knocked the real on Wednesday, but broader markets are calm.<\/p>\n<p>CME Group indices of expected swings in exchange rates such as euro-dollar are significantly down from their April highs and are at roughly the level where they traded at the start of the year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a view that the Trump administration is unlikely to want a repeat of the disruption triggered by the \u2018liberation day\u2019 tariffs in early April,\u201d said Lee Hardman, senior currency analyst at MUFG.<\/p>\n<p>But investors warned that the exuberant sentiment in equity markets in itself could encourage Trump to increase his aggression on trade more than the market currently anticipates.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"n-content-image n-content-image--full\" data-component=\"image-set\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 700px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Af2cc819d-9528-4a0a-b206-a0160af3ee50?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=1 1x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Af2cc819d-9528-4a0a-b206-a0160af3ee50?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=2 2x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Af2cc819d-9528-4a0a-b206-a0160af3ee50?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=3 3x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Af2cc819d-9528-4a0a-b206-a0160af3ee50?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=4 4x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3Af2cc819d-9528-4a0a-b206-a0160af3ee50?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=5 5x\" width=\"3500\" height=\"2500\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 490px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c756207-3c12-475b-a99f-1f34371362d8?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=1 1x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c756207-3c12-475b-a99f-1f34371362d8?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=2 2x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A4c756207-3c12-475b-a99f-1f34371362d8?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=3 3x\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd6c748xw2pzm8.cloudfront.net%2Fprod%2F2458dbe0-5d77-11f0-af38-d388425b8b7c-standard.png?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=1\" alt=\"Line chart of Nasdaq Composite index, points showing Tech stocks mark new highs\" data-image-type=\"graphic\" width=\"3500\" height=\"2500\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWith US equities at record high and the budget passed, there is a risk Trump could be emboldened to go harder with tariffs than expected,\u201d said Hardman.<\/p>\n<p>Some investors are more alarmed that the market is pricing in a degree of complacency, with the S&amp;P close to record highs and trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24. Stocks indices in the UK and Germany are trading at all-time peaks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy concern is that there\u2019s not a great margin of safety now in valuations,\u201d said Kasper Elmgreen, CIO of equities and fixed income at Nordea Asset Management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have the biggest increase in tariffs in anybody\u2019s living memory, but [the market] is taking a very relaxed view on what that might do,\u201d Elmgreen said. \u201cI\u2019m concerned about the lack of concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/5af6b3eb-1508-4073-bf9c-b60066d0dfc9\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump\u2019s second term means for Washington,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":34042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}