empty
04.04.2025 11:10 AM
Old market rules broken

Someone is not telling the truth. Donald Trump insists that everything is going well and that the markets will flourish. But the S&P 500 just posted its worst 10-week start after Trump's inauguration since 2001, wiping out $3 trillion in market capitalization. Investors are losing faith in the Republican leader, while Fitch Ratings warns that tariffs are changing the rules of the game. We have entered an entirely new macro landscape. The winning bet of "buy the dip" no longer works.

Following the White House's sweeping import tariffs, the average US tariff rate has jumped from 2.2% to over 20%, marking the sharpest increase since the 1950s. Back then, it triggered a recession. History risks repeating itself. UBS estimates that GDP cloud shrink by 2 percentage points in 2025. Nomura forecasts modest growth of just 0.6%, while Barclays offers a slightly brighter view of a 0.1% contraction. Notably, when Trump took office, the economy was growing at 2.8%. Unsurprisingly, investors are selling dollars and stocks, abandoning the notion of American exceptionalism.

S&P 500 performance in absolute and percentage terms

This image is no longer relevant

The S&P 500 has entered correction territory again, although full-blown recessions have historically seen losses of 20% or more — still a long way off. Nonetheless, the index's downward trajectory signals recession risks ahead. Markets are currently pricing in a 48% chance of a downturn in the next 12 months, up from 38% before the White House tariff announcement on April 2, according to Polymarket.

UBS Global Wealth Management downgraded US equities to "neutral" from "most favored" and cut its year-end S&P 500 forecast to 5,800 from 6,400, citing tariff-induced volatility. Hedge funds dumped stocks in March at the fastest pace in 12 years, according to Goldman Sachs.

Wall Street analysts have trimmed their 2025 earnings growth forecasts for US corporates to 9.5% from 13% in January. Despite falling P/E multiples, the current valuation of the S&P 500 at 20 times earnings still looks stretched relative to historical norms.

Global equities vs. bond yields

This image is no longer relevant

This image is no longer relevant

The White House's tariff blitz has not just rocked US markets — global equities are also reeling. Risk aversion has pushed up the correlation between MSCI's global index and 10-year US Treasury yields. At the same time, US equities are underperforming their international peers, putting pressure on the US dollar.

Technically, the daily chart shows that the S&P 500 is still in a correction from its broader uptrend. Both downside targets at 5,500 and 5,400 were hit on short positions. While a brief rebound in the broad index is possible, as long as it trades below 5,500, the bias remains towards selling.

Marek Petkovich,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

Wall Street keeps White House in line

The market is showing heightened sensitivity to any good news, but its best days are behind it. The value of US equities as a percentage of the MSCI All Country

Marek Petkovich 11:42 2025-04-24 UTC+2

USD/JPY. Analysis and Forecast

The Japanese yen maintains a bullish tone despite certain headwinds and remains in focus as renewed global risk aversion fuels demand for safe-haven assets. Diminishing hopes for a swift resolution

Irina Yanina 11:35 2025-04-24 UTC+2

XAU/USD. Analysis and Forecast

Gold is showing positive momentum as it attempts to hold above the $3300 level, indicating growing investor interest in this traditional safe-haven asset. The uncertainty surrounding U.S.-China trade relations—highlighted

Irina Yanina 11:33 2025-04-24 UTC+2

Trump Is Playing a Game Where Everyone Loses

According to a senior official at the European Central Bank, President Donald Trump has drawn the entire world into a game where everyone ends up losing — referring

Jakub Novak 11:21 2025-04-24 UTC+2

Trump Desperately Needs a Deal with China

The U.S. dollar surged sharply against most major currencies after President Donald Trump stated that he plans to be very "courteous" with China in any trade talks and that tariffs

Jakub Novak 11:16 2025-04-24 UTC+2

The Fed Needs More Time to Assess the Situation

While Donald Trump is attempting to reach an understanding with China, Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler stated that the current tariff policy is likely to exert upward pressure on prices

Jakub Novak 10:05 2025-04-24 UTC+2

Powell Can Sleep Soundly

Markets responded with gains, and the US dollar strengthened against the euro and other risk assets after US President Donald Trump said he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve

Jakub Novak 09:59 2025-04-24 UTC+2

The Markets Have Likely Already Passed the Bottom of Their Decline (there is a chance of continued decline in EUR/USD and GBP/USD)

While markets remain focused on trade wars, particularly between the U.S. and China, incoming economic data indicate persistent structural problems in the advanced economies of Europe and the United States

Pati Gani 09:38 2025-04-24 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on April 24? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

Few macroeconomic events are scheduled for Thursday, but yesterday's developments showed that the market continues to ignore the majority of data releases. Only a handful of reports are lucky enough

Paolo Greco 06:05 2025-04-24 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview – April 24: Didn't work out? So be it...

On Wednesday, the GBP/USD currency pair managed to avoid a substantial decline, although the day before, it seemed that a downtrend was finally beginning. However, the market quickly bounced back

Paolo Greco 03:16 2025-04-24 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.