{"id":52089,"date":"2025-08-18T14:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/the-trump-market-a-daily-dose-of-what-now\/52089\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T14:00:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:00:38","slug":"the-trump-market-a-daily-dose-of-what-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/the-trump-market-a-daily-dose-of-what-now\/52089\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trump Market: A Daily Dose of “What Now?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ah, Monday, August 18, 2025. Another glorious day dawns on Wall Street, and with it, another fresh batch of pronouncements from the former-and-potentially-future President Donald J. Trump<\/a>. For investors, it’s less about fundamental analysis and more about divining the tea leaves of Truth Social posts and impromptu press gaggles. The market, ever the stoic, continues its bizarre dance, seemingly unfazed by the whiplash-inducing policy pivots that have become the new normal. Or perhaps, it’s just gotten really, really good at pretending everything’s fine.<\/p>\n

The Tariff Tango: Still Stepping on Toes<\/h2>\n

Just when you thought you had a handle on global trade, President Trump<\/a> reminds everyone who’s boss with a fresh round of tariff talk. Today, the administration significantly expanded its 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, slapping levies on an additional 407 derivative product codes. This move, effective immediately, is designed to “protect domestic industries” and “address trade imbalances.” The market’s initial reaction? A collective shrug, albeit a slightly downward-trending one. Dow Jones<\/a> futures slipped 0.2% in early European trading, with S&P 500<\/a> futures declining 0.1% and Nasdaq 100 futures remaining subdued. It seems the anticipation of a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, coupled with these expanded tariffs, kept a lid on any Monday morning exuberance.<\/p>\n

Individual players in the steel and aluminum sectors felt the immediate pinch, or perhaps, the gentle caress of uncertainty. ArcelorMittal<\/a> (MT<\/a>) dipped 1.62%, Cleveland-Cliffs<\/a> (CLF<\/a>) was down 0.66%, Alcoa<\/a> (AA<\/a>) shed 1.26%, and Century Aluminum<\/a> (CENX<\/a>) slipped 1.27%. Not everyone was in the red, however, with Nucor<\/a> (NUE<\/a>) managing a modest gain of 0.73%. Automakers, like Ford, are already projecting a hefty $2 billion hit this year from existing steel and aluminum tariffs, prompting some, like General Motors, to sign multiyear fixed-price steel contracts in a bid to stabilize costs.<\/p>\n

This isn’t exactly new choreography. The “Art of the Deal” in trade policy has seen the effective U.S. tariff rate jump to 15.8% as of August 1st, a considerable leap from the 2.3% seen at the end of 2024. Following the initial “Liberation Day” tariff announcement on April 2, 2025, global markets reportedly “crashed,” leading to a swift, if temporary, reversal of course by the administration. Yet, despite this historical volatility, U.S. equity markets remain stubbornly near all-time highs, with the S&P 500 having rebounded nearly 28% since its April 7th low. It appears investors have developed a remarkable tolerance for policy-induced turbulence, or perhaps, a deep-seated belief that the market will always, eventually, find its footing. As U.S. Bank’s head of capital markets research, Bill Merz, observed, “Since April we’ve seen investors overcome concerns that tariffs would negatively impact economic growth, earnings, and inflation.”<\/p>\n

The tariff threats, of course, extend beyond metals. The President has repeatedly floated the idea of imposing eye-watering tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, with figures as high as 250% being bandied about. Similarly, semiconductors have been in the crosshairs, with threats of tariffs reaching a staggering 300%. This unpredictability has companies scrambling. A recent survey revealed that nearly half of all companies are either increasing prices (39%) or planning to (10%) in response to the tariffs, with a whopping 75% of respondents expecting these duties to drive up inflation. Apparently, making America great again involves making everyday goods slightly more expensive for everyone. Who knew?<\/p>\n

Policy Pivots and Electoral Echoes<\/h2>\n

Beyond the economic machinations, President Trump also took to his preferred platform, Truth Social, to announce a new “movement” aimed at overhauling the U.S. voting system. His target? Mail-in ballots and voting machines, which he, without evidence, labeled a “hoax” and a “total disaster.” He even claimed he’d sign an executive order to “bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections” by eliminating them, despite having supported mail-in voting himself in the 2024 election. The irony, as always, is a subtle art.<\/p>\n

While the market generally doesn’t bat an eye at electoral process debates, the sheer volume of these pronouncements contributes to a broader sense of, shall we say, dynamic<\/i> governance. On Truth Social, Trump also boasted about knowing “exactly what he’s doing” with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and asserted that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy “could quickly end war with Russia.” [Alerts] Such geopolitical pronouncements, often delivered via social media, contribute to the general market caution, as evidenced by the subdued futures trading today ahead of Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n

In a fascinating twist of the “Art of the Deal,” the White House recently brokered an agreement allowing Nvidia<\/a> (NVDA<\/a>) and Advanced Micro Devices<\/a> (AMD<\/a>) to sell certain AI chips to Chinese companies, provided they share 15% of the revenue with the U.S. government. This dramatic about-face, following an initial block on such exports in April, has trade experts scratching their heads, warning it could destabilize trading relations and create the “perception that export controls are up for sale.” Meanwhile, shares of AMD<\/a>, Nvidia<\/a>, and Broadcom<\/a> (BRCM<\/a>) all slipped over 1% on Friday, likely due to the broader threat of 300% tariffs on imported semiconductors. It’s a complex web where policy becomes a negotiation, and the market tries to keep up.<\/p>\n

The Unpredictable Indicator: A Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The stock market under the current administration continues to be a masterclass in adaptation. Despite the constant barrage of tariff threats, policy reversals, and geopolitical musings, major indices like the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite seem to absorb the shocks, often hitting new highs. Friday’s close saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a> (DJI<\/a>) virtually unchanged, up less than 0.1% to 44,946.12, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite<\/a> (IXIC<\/a>) fell 0.4% to 21,622.98, and the S&P 500<\/a> (SPX<\/a>) lost 0.3% to 6,449.80. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX<\/a>), the market’s “fear gauge,” ticked up 1.8% to 15.09, suggesting a slight unease, but nothing approaching panic.<\/p>\n

Analysts like Dan Buckley of DayTrading.com caution “armchair investors” against trying to capitalize on this “tariff-induced volatility,” noting the rapid price movements and potential for losses. He astutely points out that “Trump’s repeated tariff rhetoric has turned trade policy into a constant headline driver,” creating a playground for retail trading platforms. Indeed, the market’s resilience, or perhaps its sheer exhaustion, in the face of such a dynamic policy landscape is truly something to behold. It’s a testament to either robust underlying economic fundamentals or an unparalleled ability to simply ignore the noise. Or, perhaps, a bit of both, seasoned with a healthy dose of “we’ve seen this movie before.”<\/p>\n

DISCLAIMER: <\/b> We read Trump’s posts so you don’t have to. This is comedy meets market data, not financial advice. Not political advice either – we just like charts and chaos.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, Monday, August 18, 2025. Another glorious day dawns on Wall Street, and with it, another fresh batch of pronouncements […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","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":[4331],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trump-stock-market"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52089","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\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}