A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from
Ankur Banerjee
The prospect of narrower-than-feared U.S. tariffs rekindled
some investor optimism in recent days but the relief rally in
stocks is already showing signs of petering out, worn down by
the unrelenting uncertainty over what comes next.
Asian stocks took their cues from Wall Street and rose
during the early Asia trading hours on signs that there may be
negotiations under way to head off or narrow the scope of
reciprocal tariffs due to be announced on April 2.
But by afternoon Asian stocks were wavering, while U.S. and
European stock futures pointed lower.
The markets' gyrations underscore investor skittishness over
U.S. tariffs and the damage they could inflict on the global
economy as well as on corporate profits.
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that not
all of his threatened levies would be imposed on April 2 and
that some countries may get a break. He also warned that
automobile tariffs are coming soon and slapped 25% secondary
tariffs on any country that buys oil or gas from Venezuela.
And those were just the tariff headlines from Monday!
With the economic calendar during European hours rather
sparse, global trade conflicts will remain in the spotlight even
if market reactions for now will likely be muted.
Among currencies, the focus during Asian hours was on the
Indonesian rupiah, which sank to its lowest level since
the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s on the dollar's
overall strength and worries over the fiscal health of Southeast
Asia's largest economy.
Investor confidence has been waning in Indonesia, where the
stock market last week felt the brunt of investor angst
over Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's massive social
spending plans.
The dollar was near a three-week high against the yen
and the euro after upbeat U.S. services data
eased some concerns about where the economy is headed.
Overshadowing everything in the markets, however, is what's
happening with tariffs - implemented, proposed and on the way -
and whether they may undermine economic growth in the United
States.
Key developments that could influence markets on Tuesday:
Economic events: Germany business climate survey for
March from the Ifo institute