Is Trump Really Going to Be “Nice” to China? The Market Thinks So!

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Okay, here we go. April 23, 2025. Relations between the U.S. and China? Still a mess. Trade war? Oh, it’s *still* happening. But this week, U.S. President Trump just casually drops a bombshell: tariffs on China? “Substantially” dropping. Yep, just like that. And surprise, surprise—the markets are actually *cheering* this one. Stocks and crypto are soaring. Like, soaring.

So, Trump’s Playing ‘Nice’? Treasury Secretary Bessent Says We Might Actually Chill With China

Right now, all four major stock indexes are in the green (yes, really), and crypto is up a solid 3% over the last 24 hours. What happened? Well, Trump said he’d be “very nice” in the next round of trade talks with China. Wow, that’s reassuring. He also mentioned tariffs “coming down substantially.” Not zero, mind you—don’t get too carried away—but hey, half a victory, right?

So, here’s where we’re at: the U.S. slapped tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese imports (just a little dramatic, no?) to try and balance out trade and smack down those “unfair practices” (whatever that means). China, naturally, fought back with their own tariffs of up to 125% on American goods. So, it’s been a whole thing. But guess what? Trump might cut those tariffs by half. Maybe. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—yeah, *that* guy—told a crowd yesterday that he expects some kind of “de-escalation” with China. Oh, the optimism.

Insiders are saying Bessent made these comments at a super hush-hush JPMorgan investor summit. Stocks? Crypto? Even Treasury bonds? All up. Thirty-year Treasury bond futures? Up 1.27%. Apparently, investors are feeling better about things, probably because Trump said he’s gonna be all “nice” to China. What a guy!

Meanwhile, if you’re into gold (who isn’t, right?), an ounce of .999 fine gold was going for $3,289. Yeah, it dipped 2.7% on Wednesday, but that’s a whole other story. Trump, being his usual self, also reassured us that the U.S. is “going to have a fair trade deal with China.” Oh sure, buddy. Whatever you say.

So now, investors are basically standing at the edge of a cliff. Do they believe Trump’s “nice” talk, or are they just waiting for the next curveball? Market folks are tuning in, ready to dissect every word in the trade talks like it’s the next season of their favorite drama. Stay tuned, folks.

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2025-04-23 20:10