Your support helps us to tell the storySupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference. Asian shares mostly rose Wednesday, as regional markets continued to watch President Donald Trump’s latest tariff escalation.Investors remained uncertain about what the impact of the policies might be. The latest from Trump is his announcement of 25% tariffs on all foreign steel and aluminum coming into the U.S.South Korea, and to a lesser extent Japan, export steel to the U.S., but the impact on their economies might not be that big since both nations export more in other goods to the U.S.Last month, Trump decided to impose 10% duties on all Chinese imports.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.2% in early trading to 38,863.82. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3% to 8,513.10. South Korea’s Kospi edged up 0.2% to 2,545.19. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.0% to 21,728.71, as excitement over DeepSeek continued, although market watchers are wondering when the rally might peak. The Shanghai Composite added 0.2% to 3,325.59. The moves on Wall Street were modest not only for U.S. stocks but also in the bond market, where Treasury yields rose by only a bit. The threat of a possible trade war is real, with high potential stakes. Most of Wall Street agrees that substantial and sustained tariffs would push up prices for U.S. households and ultimately lead to big pain for financial markets around the world.But trading remained mostly calm in part because Trump has shown he can be quick to pull back on such threats. That’s what he did earlier with 25% tariffs he had announced for all imports from Canada and Mexico, suggesting tariffs may be merely a negotiating chip rather than a true long-term policy. That in turn has much of Wall Street hoping the worst-case scenario may not happen. “The metal tariffs may serve as negotiating leverage,” according to Solita Marcelli, chief investment officer for the Americas at UBS Global Wealth Management.Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said again in testimony on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the Fed is in no hurry to ease interest rates any further.The Fed had cut its main interest rate sha
Mer. Feb 12th, 2025
