{"id":49256,"date":"2025-04-13T18:14:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T23:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/?p=49256"},"modified":"2025-04-13T18:15:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T23:15:34","slug":"trumps-tariff-u-turn-electronics-dodge-chinas-145-sting-but-for-how-long","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trumps-tariff-u-turn-electronics-dodge-chinas-145-sting-but-for-how-long\/49256\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Tariff U-Turn: Electronics Dodge China\u2019s 145% Sting, But for How Long?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-49257 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/trump_china_uturn-300x300.webp\" alt=\"trump china u-turn\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/>In a move that\u2019s left markets reeling and analysts scratching their heads, President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> has once again flipped the script on his <strong>tariff policy<\/strong>. On April 13, 2025, just days after doubling down on crushing levies against China, Trump\u2019s administration announced a surprise exemption for <strong>smartphones<\/strong>, <strong>computers<\/strong>, <strong>semiconductors<\/strong>, and other electronics from the steep 145% tariffs slapped on Chinese imports. This abrupt reversal\u2014after weeks of escalating trade war rhetoric\u2014has sparked a rally in tech stocks, relief for companies like Apple, and a firestorm of questions about what\u2019s next in Trump\u2019s unpredictable trade saga. Here\u2019s how it all went down and what it means for the <strong>U.S. economy<\/strong>. <strong>Key Points<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Trump\u2019s administration exempted smartphones, computers, and semiconductors from China\u2019s 145% tariffs on April 13, reversing earlier hardline stance.<\/li>\r\n<li>The move sent tech stocks soaring, with Apple and Nvidia gaining, but Trump hinted at future \u201cnational security\u201d tariffs on electronics.<\/li>\r\n<li>China called the exemption a \u201csmall step\u201d but urged full tariff cancellation, while global markets remain jittery.<\/li>\r\n<li>Social media buzz on X reflects confusion, with some praising the reprieve and others slamming Trump\u2019s flip-flopping.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Tariff Rollercoaster<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Trump\u2019s trade war with China has been a wild ride. On April 2, he rolled out a 10% baseline tariff on imports from over 180 countries, with \u201creciprocal\u201d rates hitting China at 34% and Europe at 20%. Markets tanked\u2014the <strong>Dow<\/strong> dropped 2,200 points in two days, and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/sp500\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&amp;P 500<\/a><\/strong> shed nearly 10%. By April 9, Trump paused tariffs for 75 countries for 90 days but cranked China\u2019s to 125%, citing Beijing\u2019s 84% retaliation. <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold<\/a> hit record highs, and the <strong>dollar<\/strong> wobbled as investors fled to safe havens. Then, on April 13, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency quietly published a list of tariff codes sparing electronics\u2014retroactive to April 5\u2014prompting a market surge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Electronics Get a Breather<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The exemptions are a big win for tech giants. <strong>Apple<\/strong>, <strong>Nvidia<\/strong>, and <strong>Dell<\/strong> dodged a bullet, as tariffs threatened to jack up iPhone and laptop prices. The reprieve covers <strong>memory cards<\/strong>, <strong>routers<\/strong>, <strong>flash drives<\/strong>, and more, most of which aren\u2019t made in the U.S. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump wants these industries stateside, but for now, he\u2019s sparing consumers the pain. China\u2019s Ministry of Commerce called it a \u201csmall step\u201d toward fixing \u201cunilateral\u201d wrongs but insisted the U.S. must ditch tariffs entirely, per Reuters. On X, users like @KemiRoza32655 cheered the move as a nod to a potential China deal, while @marlene4719 blasted Trump\u2019s \u201cinsane\u201d reversals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the Flip?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>So, what changed? Pressure, for one. Tech CEOs, cozying up to Trump since his January inauguration, likely leaned hard\u2014Apple\u2019s Tim Cook even hosted a pre-inaugural bash. The threat of pricier gadgets spooked consumers, with some rushing to Apple stores pre-exemption, per The New York Times. Plus, markets were bleeding: the <strong>Nasdaq<\/strong> was down 11% before the April 9 rally. Trump\u2019s team, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, may have seen the writing on the wall\u2014higher tariffs could choke growth and alienate voters. But Trump\u2019s not done: he posted on Truth Social that electronics are just moving to a \u201cdifferent tariff bucket\u201d for a <strong>national security probe<\/strong>, hinting at new levies in months.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Market and Global Reactions<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The exemption sparked a tech stock frenzy\u2014<strong>Nvidia<\/strong> and <strong>TSMC<\/strong> jumped, and retail stocks like Wayfair climbed 18%. But Trump\u2019s mixed signals sowed confusion. Lutnick told ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week\u201d that separate tariffs on electronics are coming, tied to national security, not reciprocal rates. China, unfazed, raised U.S. tariffs to 125% on April 12, per Yahoo Finance. On X, @NeutralObservrX claimed China\u2019s \u201cwon\u201d economically, while @amtvmedia urged selling the dollar, predicting more chaos. Ray Dalio, on NBC, warned of a looming recession\u2014or worse\u2014if tariffs aren\u2019t handled carefully.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s Next for Trade and Tech?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This reprieve buys time, but the clock\u2019s ticking. Trump\u2019s team, led by Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, aims for trade deals within 90 days, but China\u2019s out of that loop. A <strong>Section 232<\/strong> probe into chips could bring new tariffs by June, potentially at 25%, far below the current 145%. The <strong>dollar<\/strong>\u2019s still shaky, down 1% since April 9, while <strong>gold<\/strong>\u2019s near $3,150, signaling persistent fear. If Trump keeps zigzagging, markets\u2014and consumers\u2014face more whiplash. For now, your iPhone\u2019s cheaper, but in Trump\u2019s trade war, nothing\u2019s certain except the drama.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a move that\u2019s left markets reeling and analysts scratching their heads, President Donald Trump has once again flipped the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":49257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1327,4179,4180],"class_list":["post-49256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","tag-china","tag-tariffs","tag-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}