Asian markets mixed as Trump delays 50% EU tariffs
A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, May 26, 2025, in Tokyo. (Photo: AP/Eugene Hoshiko)
HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed and European equities rallied on Monday (May 26) after Donald Trump dialled back on his threat to hit the European Union with 50 per cent tariffs by delaying their implementation to July.
Just as markets were showing signs of settling following their bond-fuelled selloff last week, the United States president hurled his latest grenade across the pond on Friday by levelling 50 per cent levies at the bloc from Jun 1, saying talks were "going nowhere".
He also said he would hit smartphone makers with 25 per cent tolls if they did not make their handsets in the US.
Wall Street's three main indexes and most European markets dumped into the red on Friday.
However, Trump provided some relief on Sunday by saying the EU tariffs would not be put in place until Jul 9 following a "very nice call" with its boss Ursula von der Leyen, adding that officials will "rapidly get together and see if we can work something out".
Von der Leyen vowed to move "swiftly" to reach a deal.
Paris and Frankfurt jumped more than 1 per cent in the first few minutes of trade, while London was closed for a holiday.
US futures also rallied but Asia struggled.
"The stock market seems to dance to Trump's tune: first a threat, then a pullback, quickly followed by a rebound as speculative investors anticipate a concession from the US president," said Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets.
"This morning's confirmation of such expectations reinforces the so-called 'Trump Pattern', which is increasingly seen as a successful strategy for risk-tolerant investors."
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta fell, while Tokyo, Seoul and Mumbai rose. Sydney was flat.
The dollar remained under pressure after dropping on Friday.
Analysts said the latest unexpected salvos from the White House highlighted the uncertain path investors are having to walk owing to the president's volatile policy pivots.
They have also warned that his bill to extend tax cuts and slash spending could balloon the national deficit by trillions of dollars, putting upward pressure on Treasury yields and sparking warnings about the world's biggest economy.
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Ray Attrill at National Australia Bank added: "In what is an otherwise quiet week on the scheduled global data and events calendar ... trade discussion look set to dominate the market landscape this week."
Investors are also looking ahead to the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting this month, hoping for an idea about decision-makers' views on the economy in light of the tariff war.
That is followed by its preferred measure of inflation - US personal consumption expenditures - which will be unveiled Friday.
The bank showed a shift in tone in its post-meeting statement "with uncertainty about the economic outlook increasing further, stating that the risks of higher unemployment and inflation have both risen", said Michael Hewson, of MCH Market Insights.
"This is a problem for the Fed's dual mandate given that these two items could move in the same direction when any policy response may well hinder one over the other."
He added: "The biggest concern is likely to be the sharp drop in US consumer confidence levels in the last few months, however ... this could quickly reverse if the US government begins to realise that its tendency to pick fights at every turn is doing more harm than good domestically."
In company news, shares in Seoul-listed Samsung rose more than 1 per cent despite Trump's threat of tariffs on smartphone makers.
And in Tokyo, Nippon Steel rallied as much as 7.4 per cent after Trump threw his support behind a new "partnership" between the Japanese firm and US Steel.
His remarks on Friday were the latest in a long saga surrounding Nippon Steel's US$14.9 billion takeover of US Steel, first announced in late 2023.
He said US Steel's headquarters would remain in Pittsburgh and that the partnership would create at least 70,000 jobs and add US$14 billion to the US economy.
However, neither the White House nor the two companies have published details of the new arrangement and many questions remain.
US Steel soared 21 per cent in New York on Friday.
