{"id":64866,"date":"2026-07-15T23:38:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T03:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-imposes-25-tariffs-on-brazil-as-south-korea-pivots-to-rate-hikes\/64866\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T23:38:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T03:38:19","slug":"us-imposes-25-tariffs-on-brazil-as-south-korea-pivots-to-rate-hikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-imposes-25-tariffs-on-brazil-as-south-korea-pivots-to-rate-hikes\/64866\/","title":{"rendered":"US Imposes 25% Tariffs on Brazil as South Korea Pivots to Rate Hikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The U.S. is imposing 25% tariffs on a wide range of Brazilian imports starting July 22<\/strong>, following a Section 301 investigation that found &quot;unreasonable&quot; trade practices including lax anti-corruption and unfair ethanol market barriers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Bank of Korea (BOK) raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75%<\/strong>, its first hike in over three years, as an AI-driven semiconductor boom fuels stronger-than-expected 3.8% GDP growth and sticky inflation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Japan\u2019s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is moving to raise the voting rights threshold for requesting extraordinary shareholder meetings from 3% to 5%<\/strong>, a move aimed at curbing rising shareholder activism.<\/li>\n<li><strong>South Korean markets reacted sharply to the rate hike, with the KOSPI index plunging over 6%<\/strong> into bear market territory as investors fear the impact of tightening on highly indebted households and tech investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>U.S. Hits Brazil with 25% Tariffs Under Section 301<\/h2>\n<p>The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced today that it will impose <strong>25% tariffs on selected imports from Brazil<\/strong> beginning July 22, 2026. This action follows a year-long investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which concluded that Brazil\u2019s trade practices\u2014ranging from <strong>digital trade barriers and unfair ethanol market access to illegal deforestation<\/strong>\u2014burden U.S. commerce.<\/p>\n<p>While the tariffs target a broad array of goods, the U.S. has exempted critical commodities to avoid supply chain disruptions. <strong>Exempted products include coffee, beef, oranges, orange juice, and aerospace parts.<\/strong> Senior administration officials stated the move is necessary to protect American farmers and tech companies, though Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva has criticized the measures as politically motivated.<\/p>\n<h2>Bank of Korea Ends Multi-Year Hold with Hawkish Pivot<\/h2>\n<p>Bank of Korea Governor <strong>Shin Hyun-song<\/strong> presided over a landmark meeting today, raising the seven-day repurchase rate to <strong>2.75%<\/strong>. This marks the first increase since January 2023, ending a 42-month period of policy stability. Governor Shin rejected criticisms that holding rates steady in May was a mistake, asserting that <strong>recent data shows economic growth is significantly stronger than previously anticipated.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The central bank\u2019s decision was driven by <strong>June inflation hitting a three-year high of 3.2%<\/strong> and a robust semiconductor-led export surge. However, the hawkish shift sent shockwaves through domestic markets. The <strong>KOSPI index (<a href=\"\/stock\/KOSPI\">KOSPI<\/a>)<\/strong> plummeted more than 6%, with tech giants Samsung Electronics (<a href=\"\/stock\/005930\">005930<\/a>) and SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>) falling 8% and 11% respectively, as traders weighed the cost of higher borrowing on the chip sector&#39;s capital-intensive expansion.<\/p>\n<h2>Japan Seeks to Shield Management from Activist Pressure<\/h2>\n<p>In Tokyo, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is finalizing a proposal to revise the Companies Act to <strong>tighten requirements for shareholder rights.<\/strong> The proposed changes would increase the threshold for shareholders to request an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) from the current <strong>3% of voting rights to 5%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the LDP seeks to scrap the &quot;300-share rule,&quot; which currently allows investors holding as few as 300 shares to submit formal proposals. <em>Market analysts suggest these reforms are designed to provide management stability against the backdrop of record-high shareholder proposals in Japan.<\/em> The revised bill is expected to be submitted to the regular Diet session in January 2027, potentially reshaping the landscape for individual and institutional activists in the world&#39;s third-largest economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The U.S. is imposing 25% tariffs on a wide range of Brazilian imports starting July 22, following a 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