Bessent Tells Markets Not to Worry About China Tariff Deadline
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the deadline for a US-China tariff truce slated to end next month is flexible, saying that talks between the world's largest economies are in a 'very good place' ahead of an expected meeting in coming weeks.
'I tell market participants not to worry about Aug. 12,' Bessent said Tuesday on 'Bloomberg Surveillance,' referring to the end of a 90-day reprieve that was announced May 12.
The remarks may ease investor concern that commerce between the two nations faces further disruption if tariffs return to their damaging pre-truce levels in less than a month. Bessent's perceived confidence in stable relations with Beijing also reinforces his role as a counterweight to the China hawks advising Trump.
The Treasury chief, who has taken the leading role in Washington's negotiations with China, said that he hopes to meet with his counterpart Vice Premier He Lifeng soon, possibly in a third country, either before or after the Chinese leadership hold a meeting early next month.
'We're still working on it,' he said. 'The Chinese leadership has a big conclave at the beginning of August. We're trying to work out whether that could be in a third country either before or after that conclave.'
Market Rally
The S&P 500 has rallied 26% from an April low to a record high as investors grew more confident that the US will negotiate lower tariff rates with trading partners than those announced April 2.
The domestic economy, meanwhile, remains solid with underlying inflation largely staying in check. A report on June consumer prices, released after the Bessent interview, showed product categories more exposed to tariffs indicate that companies are starting to pass higher import costs on to households.
The dollar remains lower since the initial April announcement, while longer-dated Treasury yields are higher. The greenback has been hit particularly hard, with Bloomberg's gauge of the currency down more than 8% this year.
Bessent and his fellow US trade negotiators previously met with Chinese officials in Geneva in May, where they agreed to reduce their overall tariffs rates on each other. They held more talks in June in London, where they reached an understanding on easing export controls on semiconductors and so-called rare earths.
The US government has recently assured chip maker Nvidia Corp. that licenses for sales of its advanced H20 GPU to Chinese firms would be granted, the company said in a blog post.
In the Bloomberg TV interview, Bessent confirmed that development and said the granting of such licenses was among the offerings from the Trump administration in its talks with China.
'You might say that that was a negotiating chip that we used in Geneva and in London,' he said. 'It was all part of a mosaic. They had things we wanted. We had things they wanted, and we're in a very good place.'
--With assistance from Annmarie Hordern, Jonathan Ferro, Lisa Abramowicz, David Goodman and Farah Elbahrawy.
(Adds markets in fifth paragraph)
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And while the spat between Trump and Powell — who was named Fed chair by Trump during his first term in office — has now spanned multiple administrations, some on Wall Street also see Trump's desire to cut Powell as coming back to aiding his key economic agenda: tariffs. "There is method to President Donald Trump's madness regarding Fed Chair Jerome Powell," Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research wrote in a note to clients on July 1. "Trump has been hammering Powell almost daily recently because doing so is very effectively hammering the foreign-exchange value of the dollar. Trump wants a weaker dollar to boost US exports and depress US imports. He has said that he favored a weaker dollar many times in the past, but now he has found a way to achieve that: by beating up on Powell." As for whether Trump will be able to fire Powell, the Supreme Court in May issued a ruling that walled off the Federal Reserve from other independent agencies that had their leaders removed by Trump. The drumbeat that President Trump will fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell got louder Wednesday, with reporting from CBS News, Bloomberg, CNBC, and The New York Times all adding to the sense that Trump is getting closer to making the unprecedented move. Stocks were lower following the news, but the biggest move in markets was coming from the foreign exchange market, where the dollar was getting crushed against other major currencies. The dollar quickly fell as much as 1% against the Japanese yen, lost about 0.7% against the euro, and fell about 0.5% against the British pound. The dollar index fell about 0.7%. Trump has for some time complained about Powell's lack of aggressive rate cuts this year, saying the Fed chair is "too late," among other barbs. And while the spat between Trump and Powell — who was named Fed chair by Trump during his first term in office — has now spanned multiple administrations, some on Wall Street also see Trump's desire to cut Powell as coming back to aiding his key economic agenda: tariffs. "There is method to President Donald Trump's madness regarding Fed Chair Jerome Powell," Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research wrote in a note to clients on July 1. "Trump has been hammering Powell almost daily recently because doing so is very effectively hammering the foreign-exchange value of the dollar. Trump wants a weaker dollar to boost US exports and depress US imports. He has said that he favored a weaker dollar many times in the past, but now he has found a way to achieve that: by beating up on Powell." As for whether Trump will be able to fire Powell, the Supreme Court in May issued a ruling that walled off the Federal Reserve from other independent agencies that had their leaders removed by Trump. Stocks sink as Trump moves to fire Powell President Trump asked Republican members of the House of Representatives if he should fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell in the Oval Office on Tuesday night, CBS News reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The New York Times reported that Trump had showed off a draft of a letter firing Powell during the meeting. The Republican representatives voiced approval for such a move, CBS reported. Shortly after the CBS report, Bloomberg reported that Trump is likely to fire Powell soon, citing a White House official. All three major indexes fell after the news to touch lows for the day. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.45%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.3%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dropped nearly 0.6%. The US Dollar DXY ( fell roughly 0.9% following the news. Meanwhile, bets on Fed rate cuts rose from earlier in the day after weaker-than-expected inflation data out earlier Wednesday morning. As of late Wednesday morning, traders saw a more than 70% chance of the Fed cutting rates in September, versus roughly 56% earlier in the day, according to CME Group. President Trump asked Republican members of the House of Representatives if he should fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell in the Oval Office on Tuesday night, CBS News reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The New York Times reported that Trump had showed off a draft of a letter firing Powell during the meeting. The Republican representatives voiced approval for such a move, CBS reported. Shortly after the CBS report, Bloomberg reported that Trump is likely to fire Powell soon, citing a White House official. All three major indexes fell after the news to touch lows for the day. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.45%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.3%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dropped nearly 0.6%. The US Dollar DXY ( fell roughly 0.9% following the news. Meanwhile, bets on Fed rate cuts rose from earlier in the day after weaker-than-expected inflation data out earlier Wednesday morning. As of late Wednesday morning, traders saw a more than 70% chance of the Fed cutting rates in September, versus roughly 56% earlier in the day, according to CME Group. Expectations for Fed rate cuts in September are falling Investor speculation that the Fed will hold rates steady not just this month but also in September is growing. According to the CME Group, traders are pricing in a 44% chance that the Fed will not cut rates in September, up from 30% last week. Investors see a more than 54% probability of a 25 basis point cut in September, down from roughly 66% last week. And traders are betting that there's a slim 1.4% chance that the central bank will cut rates by 50 basis points, down from 4.2% last week. Investor speculation that the Fed will hold rates steady not just this month but also in September is growing. According to the CME Group, traders are pricing in a 44% chance that the Fed will not cut rates in September, up from 30% last week. Investors see a more than 54% probability of a 25 basis point cut in September, down from roughly 66% last week. And traders are betting that there's a slim 1.4% chance that the central bank will cut rates by 50 basis points, down from 4.2% last week. Johnson & Johnson stock climbs after earnings beat Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stock climbed nearly 5% Wednesday after the drugmaker's latest earnings results topped expectations and the company raised its financial outlook for the year. The pharma giant reported revenues of $23.7 billion, higher than the $22.8 billion expected by Wall Street analysts. Earnings per share came in at $2.77, compared to the $2.66 projected, Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani reports. The company also raised its revenue guidance for the year to a range between $93.2 billion and $93.6 billion, up from its prior range of $91 billion to $91.8 billion. J&J lifted full-year earnings per share guidance by $0.25 to $10.85. Khemlani writes: Read more about J&J's latest earnings results here. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stock climbed nearly 5% Wednesday after the drugmaker's latest earnings results topped expectations and the company raised its financial outlook for the year. The pharma giant reported revenues of $23.7 billion, higher than the $22.8 billion expected by Wall Street analysts. Earnings per share came in at $2.77, compared to the $2.66 projected, Yahoo Finance's Anjalee Khemlani reports. The company also raised its revenue guidance for the year to a range between $93.2 billion and $93.6 billion, up from its prior range of $91 billion to $91.8 billion. J&J lifted full-year earnings per share guidance by $0.25 to $10.85. Khemlani writes: Read more about J&J's latest earnings results here. US stocks edge up at the open US stocks inched higher Wednesday morning as investors digested another round of corporate earnings results and a wholesale inflation checkup. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose about 0.3% after shedding over 400 points on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up nearly 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was just above the flat line after notching a fresh record Tuesday as AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) hit a new high. Shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Bank of America (BAC), and Goldman Sachs (GS) rose after reporting solid earnings results, while Morgan Stanley (MS) stock fell despite the bank's own earnings report topping Wall Street's projections. US stocks inched higher Wednesday morning as investors digested another round of corporate earnings results and a wholesale inflation checkup. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose about 0.3% after shedding over 400 points on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up nearly 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was just above the flat line after notching a fresh record Tuesday as AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) hit a new high. Shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Bank of America (BAC), and Goldman Sachs (GS) rose after reporting solid earnings results, while Morgan Stanley (MS) stock fell despite the bank's own earnings report topping Wall Street's projections. Trending tickers: J&J, ASML, Goldman Sachs, SharpLink Gaming Here's a look a the top trending tickers in premarket trading as earnings season kicks off: Read more live coverage of earnings season here. Here's a look a the top trending tickers in premarket trading as earnings season kicks off: Read more live coverage of earnings season here. Wholesale prices increase less than expected in June Wholesale prices rose less than expected in June. Wednesday's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that its producer price index (PPI) — which tracks the price changes companies see — rose 2.3% from the year prior, below the 2.7% seen in May and lower than the 2.5% increase economists had projected. On a monthly basis, prices were flat. Economists had expected 0.2% increase. Excluding food and energy, "core" prices rose 2.6% year over year, below the 3.2% gain seen in May. Economists had expected an increase of 2.7%. Meanwhile, month-over-month core prices were flat below the 0.2% increase economists had expected and the 0.3% gain seen last month. The report follows Tuesday's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report which showed core price increases accelerated to 2.9% in June. Wholesale prices rose less than expected in June. Wednesday's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that its producer price index (PPI) — which tracks the price changes companies see — rose 2.3% from the year prior, below the 2.7% seen in May and lower than the 2.5% increase economists had projected. On a monthly basis, prices were flat. Economists had expected 0.2% increase. Excluding food and energy, "core" prices rose 2.6% year over year, below the 3.2% gain seen in May. Economists had expected an increase of 2.7%. Meanwhile, month-over-month core prices were flat below the 0.2% increase economists had expected and the 0.3% gain seen last month. The report follows Tuesday's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report which showed core price increases accelerated to 2.9% in June. Goldman stock gains as trading and dealmaking boosts profits Shares of Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), and Citigroup (C) were moving higher in premarket trading on Wednesday after the Wall Street firms reported higher dealmaking and trading revenue this week to kick off earnings season. Yahoo Finance's David Hollerith reports: Read more here. Shares of Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), and Citigroup (C) were moving higher in premarket trading on Wednesday after the Wall Street firms reported higher dealmaking and trading revenue this week to kick off earnings season. Yahoo Finance's David Hollerith reports: Read more here. Markets are now ho-hum about tariff threats. Trump and Wall Street disagree about why. Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Ben Werschkul reports: Read more here. Chip linchpin ASML warns on 2026 growth amid tariff headwinds ASML (ASML, shares slumped almost 8% in premarket trading after the chip industry linchpin said it may not achieve growth in 2026. The warning came even as the world's biggest supplier of chipmaking gear's second quarter bookings topped Wall Street estimates on Wednesday. Reuters reported: Read more here. ASML (ASML, shares slumped almost 8% in premarket trading after the chip industry linchpin said it may not achieve growth in 2026. The warning came even as the world's biggest supplier of chipmaking gear's second quarter bookings topped Wall Street estimates on Wednesday. Reuters reported: Read more here. Gold rises as trade war fears bolster haven asset Gold (GC=F) rose overnight Tuesday as a wave of tariff updates did little to appease flighty investors looking for safe investments. With multiple rocky trade deals on the table, markets have pushed back into the valuable metal which has risen by over 25% this year so far. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Gold (GC=F) rose overnight Tuesday as a wave of tariff updates did little to appease flighty investors looking for safe investments. With multiple rocky trade deals on the table, markets have pushed back into the valuable metal which has risen by over 25% this year so far. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Trump order to open up private investment to retirement plans. President Trump is in the process of signing an executive order that will allow retirement plan providers to invest more heavily in private assets, according to those familiar with the matter. The order should take place within the next few days and will open up retirement plans to riskier investments. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump is in the process of signing an executive order that will allow retirement plan providers to invest more heavily in private assets, according to those familiar with the matter. The order should take place within the next few days and will open up retirement plans to riskier investments. Reuters reports: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
