Japan will continue trade talks with the US, PM Ishiba says
Japan has received a proposal from the United States to continue trade discussions until the newly set August 1 deadline, Ishiba said in a meeting with cabinet ministers to discuss Japan's strategy in dealing with U.S. tariffs.
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Reuters
26 minutes ago
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Trading Day: No tariff clarity, or market movement
July 8 - TRADING DAY - Making sense of the forces driving global markets By Alden Bentley, Editor in Charge, Americas Finance and Markets Jamie is enjoying some well-deserved time off, but the Reuters markets team will still keep you up to date on what markets were focused on today and why they took a breather. I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to reach out at opens new tab Today's Key Market Moves Today's Key Reads From 'fantastic' to 'spoiled': How Japan's trade effort to woo Trump backfired Gold ETFs drew largest inflow in five years during first half of 2025, WGC say In the Fed's hunt for a reason to cut rates, surveys and tariffs make answers elusive Investors put 'Liberation Day' lessons to work, scarred by tariff tumult Trump says steep copper tariffs in store as he broadens his trade war No tariff clarity, or market movement Investors let the fluid tariff situation simmer on Tuesday, sitting on their hands a day after knocking stock indexes back from record highs as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that new levies would hit a range of trading partners, including Japan and Korea. While Wall Street was in sideways mode seemingly fatigued by tariff headlines, the beaten down dollar posted the second of back-to-back gains and Treasury yields ticked higher for the fifth day running. The new date to watch is August 1 with Trump showing again his eagerness to allow time to reach deals by pushing back the deadline, which had been Wednesday since he postponed April's ill-received opening tariff gambit. In the meantime the market will stay ready for surprising turns from the White House and otherwise be waiting for economic data, the Federal Reserve and other known unknowns to incentivize trade. No major indicators are on the calendar this week, and the only set pieces to look for Wednesday are the auction of $39 billion of 10-year notes, the Treasury's benchmark U.S. debt instrument, and the release of minutes from the Fed's last meeting when they held the policy rate at 4.25%-4.5%, where it has been since December. Futures show investors expect cuts beginning in September. Last week, we saw the unemployment rate fell in June, while inflation has ticked up, also the wrong direction for easing soon. The June transcript won't reveal policymakers in great discord. They weren't very divided in their economic projections, with 10 seeing several cuts this year and nine effectively pushing easier monetary policy into 2026. Powell has insisted that any cuts will depend on the data. Meanwhile, the market will wait for the numbers and probably take the minutes in stride too. What could move markets tomorrow? Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, opens new tab, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias. Trading Day is also sent by email every weekday morning. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.
Reuters
an hour ago
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Russian firms use netting, gold and crypto in transborder payments, watchdog chief tells Putin
MOSCOW, July 8 (Reuters) - Russian companies are successfully using netting, gold, and cryptocurrency to facilitate international payments, the head of Russia's financial watchdog told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Netting involves banks managing export and import payments through verified agents, with transactions centrally balanced to ensure counterparties receive their funds. International payments for Russian trade nearly stalled in the spring of 2024 as banks in Russia's key trading partners, including China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, came under the threat of secondary U.S. sanctions. The problem has eased substantially since then, with officials saying businesses in Russia and their partners have adapted to the sanctions and found ways to make cross-border payments. "As for cross-border financial flows... our focus has shifted somewhat, it is now the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the broader Asian region," Russia's financial watchdog chief Yuri Chikhanchin told Putin. "Alternative forms of settlement are actively being used. These include gold and cryptocurrency. And now netting has appeared, clearing operations, which we are currently looking into," he added. Chikhanchin is the first high-ranking Russian official to publicly describe in detail the methods used by Russian firms for international payments. Such methods are rarely discussed in public. Reuters reported in April, citing banking sources who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, that major Russian banks had set up a netting payments system for transactions with China. According to a transcript published on the Kremlin's website, Putin was curious to know how netting worked and whether the watchdog was tracking such payments. "Netting is when the exporter allows the importer to use the export proceeds. Instead of the exporter repatriating the funds, the importer brings in goods in advance using that money and settles the payment within the country," Chikhanchin told Putin. Chikhanchin said that gold was also being used in cross-border transactions, but called for more regulation in the gold trade, saying that the current lax regime results in arbitrage between domestic and international gold prices. Gold has recently replaced dollar and euro cash in many illegal transactions, according to the finance ministry, which has called for a $10,000 cap on the amount of gold an individual can take out of the country. Chikhanchin also highlighted a system known as "Transparent Blockchain" being developed by the watchdog with the central bank and Russia's second largest lender VTB, which will enable regulators and banks to monitor cryptocurrency transactions. The new system is due to become operational by the end of this year.
Reuters
an hour ago
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Trump's tariff deadline delay brings hope, confusion to trade partners, businesses
WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff delay provided some hope to major trade partners Japan, South Korea and the European Union that deals to ease duties could still be reached, while bewildering some smaller exporters such as South Africa and leaving companies with no clarity on the path forward. Trump's form letters to 14 countries informing them of planned tariff rates of 25% to 40% provided what he called a final warning on his "reciprocal" tariffs, while pushing back Wednesday's previous deadline to August 1, a date he said on Tuesday was final, declaring: "No extensions will be granted." The move reflects Trump's frustration with trade negotiations that are proving lengthier and more complicated than the "90 deals in 90 days" that he expected, trade experts and administration officials say. The president, who announced on Tuesday a 50% tariff on imported copper and said long-threatened levies on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals were coming soon, said he has long favored simple tariffs over tedious trade talks that often involve red lines for some countries and their own requests for U.S. concessions. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba focused on the positive, saying his government would press ahead with negotiations toward a deal that "benefits both countries, while protecting Japan's national interest." Facing a 25% general U.S. tariff, Japan wants relief for its export-dependent auto industry from Trump's separate 25% automotive tariffs. It also has resisted demands for increased purchases of American rice. Japan, once viewed as an early favorite for a deal, faces an upper house election on July 20 and too many concessions could put Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party at risk. "These countries are not folding. They're not giving him what he wants, so he's added another threat," said William Reinsch, a former U.S. Commerce Department official who is a senior trade adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "He's put a new number to it and extended the deadline." South Korea, where President Lee Jae Myung has been in office less than a month, also pledged to intensify talks for "a mutually beneficial result" while analysts warned he would not be "a pushover" for Trump or put South Korea at a disadvantage to Japan. Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers, told Fox News on Tuesday more deals were possible even before the end of this week, as long as countries made concessions deemed worthy by Trump. India, in particular, looked close to a deal, but prospects were less clear for smaller countries such as South Africa, Thailand and Malaysia, which face tariffs of 30%, 36% and 25%, respectively. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pushed back on Trump's 30% tariff rate, calling it out of sync with an average 7.6% South African tariff rate. But he instructed his negotiators to "urgently engage" with Trump's team on a framework first submitted by the South African side on May 20. The Trump administration's negotiating time may be eaten up with larger partners, such as the EU, which did not get a warning letter or a change to its prescribed 20% tariff rate, double the 10% baseline. Sources familiar with the EU talks have told Reuters a deal could involve carve-outs for aircraft and parts, medical equipment and alcoholic spirits. They say the EU also wants certain automakers to export to the U.S. at rates below the 25% auto tariff. Such a deal would be similar to a framework agreement with the United Kingdom that had carve-outs for autos, steel and aircraft engines. After announcing his global "Liberation Day" tariffs of 11%-50% in early April, Trump quickly dialed them back to 10% for most countries amid bond market turmoil to buy time for negotiations to lower foreign tariffs and trade barriers. Ryan Majerus, another former U.S. Commerce official, said Trump's three-month pause had not produced the desired results, and now the president was seeking to maximize his negotiating leverage. "They're going to pressure-test things and see how far they can go, particularly for countries where there hasn't been any movement in the talks," said Majerus, who is a partner at Washington's King and Spalding law firm. Steadier markets and strong economic data give Trump some room to maneuver, but time is short and "the more granular you get in negotiating these things, the tougher the sledding gets," he added. The deadline extension provides no relief to companies that are trying to keep up with Trump's tariffs. Executives say the rapidly shifting tariff landscape has paralyzed decision-making as they try to adjust their supply chains and cost structures to avoid tariff-induced price hikes. "No company can really prepare for this," said Hubertus Breier, chief technology officer for Germany's Lapp Holdings, a family-owned maker of cables, wires and robotics for factories. "We are already incurring losses simply because of the uncertainty of the daily changing situation." Lapp has difficult choices - absorb additional costs or pass them on to customers. Assuming permanently higher prices and costs, however, could threaten its long-term existence, Breier added. DeMejico, a family business in Valencia, California with a plant in Mexico that builds traditional Spanish and Mexican-style furniture, is struggling to adapt to Trump's 50% tariffs on imported steel. Robert Luna, the company's president, said the firm is importing heavy steel latches, hinges and trim parts separately to simplify the tariff calculation process and installing them at its Los Angeles-area showroom. The tariffs and higher U.S. wage costs are already inflating prices, and DeMejico faces further cost increases on furniture if Trump hits Mexico with a reciprocal tariff, Luna said. "It's hard to do anything about this as a small business owner, so I just try to be stoic and see what happens," Luna said, adding: "My biggest worry is just keeping the company alive." Luna said he thought the Trump administration was "setting up the foundation to train people to pay tariffs."
