Fears of global recession rise as stock markets continue to fall after China responds to US president’s ‘bullying tactics’

Stock markets around the world plunged for a second day on Friday as China announced retaliatory tariffs of 34% on US imports, signalling a major escalation of a trade war ignited by Donald Trump and feeding fears of a global recession.

“For all imported goods originating from the US, an additional tariff of 34% on top of the current applicable tariff rate will be imposed,” Beijing’s finance ministry said.

China’s commerce ministry said that it would also impose more restrictions on the export of rare earths which are used in high-tech manufacturing such as batteries and electric vehicles. It added a further 16 US companies and organisations to its export control list, meaning that Chinese companies are restricted from doing business with them.

China had previously promised “resolute countermeasures” against Trump’s tariffs, which slapped a 10% rate on all imports coming to the US, with extra levies for certain countries, including China.

Wang Wen, the dean of Renmin University of China’s Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, said: “China will never give in to Trump, but it does not exclude co-operation with the United States at the level of mutual respect and win-win co-operation. China knows that co-operation is not sought, but fought for.” Wang said that China’s response was “restrained” and limited to trade measures.

However other analysts said that China’s response was forceful.

Stephane Ekolo, a market and equity strategist for Tradition in London, told Reuters: “China comes out swinging with an aggressive response to Trump’s tariffs. This is significant and is unlikely to be over, hence the negative market reactions. Investors are afraid of a ‘tit for tat’ trade war situation.”

Around 60% of duty-free packages coming into the US come from China. But those deliveries will, from May, be subject to a fee of 30% of the value of the goods, or $25, rising to $50 in June.

China has also filed a lawsuit against the US with the World Trade Organisation.

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  • IndescribablySad@threads.net@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    I’m still wondering why his purpose is in taking a cudgel to the US economy. Is he profiting off of short selling? Did vlad offer him an actual gold shitter if he did it? Does he just hate most of us? Is he looking to create a slave caste in the coming AI apotheosis? Is he just bluntly culling the herd?

    I can’t think of a positive reason.

    • AZX3RIC@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I have a hypothesis.

      Bitcoin has been down since it reached $109k in January, it’s currently at $82k.

      When people pull money out of the stock market they have to put it somewhere, gold is always a big destination to invest that money. Gold futures is up 14% in the last six months.

      How are the two connected? By this:

      Bo Hines, the executive director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, suggested in an interview that the U.S. could capitalize on the gains from its gold holdings to purchase more Bitcoin.

      Create uncertainty in the stock market and cryptocurrency, they deflate, wait for the price of gold to inflate, purchase deflated assets with inflated assets, and then flip them.

      Trump rug pulled his cryptocurrency and Musk was forced to buy Twitter because of a poorly executed pump and dump of the stock.

      There’s patterns here.

      https://finance.yahoo.com/news/white-house-says-gold-reserves-213421472.html

    • Blaster M@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Might be simpler. Trump’s got a planet-sized ego, and he thinks he can solve the world’s problems with this bullying tactic. Only this time around, everyone’s calling his bluff.

  • fluxion@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    Economy tanks every time he even hints at tariffs but he just keeps dishing them out like candy. What a businessman.

  • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    I suspect that the US’es China-bad propaganda is going to be cracking fast over the next little while as a result of the economic realignment forced by the clown car team. Especially outside of the US.