Trump calls out to the world: Tariff agreements can be discussed, but must wait until after April 2nd

According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Donald Trump, who is returning to the White House for his second term as President of the United States, stated on Friday local time that his administration is willing to negotiate certain agreements with countries seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs, but relevant negotiations must wait until his government announces the details of "reciprocal tariffs" for the world on April 2, as well as potential tariffs for certain specific industries.

It is understood that during an interview with reporters on Air Force One, Trump also revealed that the U.S. government will soon announce tariff measures targeting specific industries such as pharmaceuticals, but he refused to disclose specific timelines or details on tax rates.

Trump told reporters that several countries, including the UK, have approached the U.S. in an attempt to negotiate to evade retaliatory tariffs or so-called "reciprocal tariffs."

"They want to reach an agreement. If we can benefit from it, this (reaching an agreement) is entirely possible," he stated during the interview. "There is no doubt that I am open to this—provided we ensure that we receive corresponding returns."

When asked whether such tariff negotiation agreements could be reached before April 2, Trump responded, "No, it may be later. This is a matter of procedure."

The S&P 500 index fell 2% on Friday, while the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped nearly 3%. Under the dual pressure of significant inflation and the threat of "reciprocal tariffs" on April 2, the three major U.S. stock indices fell sharply, marking a "Black Friday," with all three indices declining for three consecutive trading days. In terms of weekly declines, all three indices closed down this week, ending a strong rebound at the start of the week. The "AI chip giant" Nvidia (NVDA.US) saw a weekly decline of 6.82%, and the index of the seven major U.S. tech giants (the Magnificent 7) accumulated a drop of 2.95% this week, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell over 6% this week.

Amid the backdrop of a global trade war escalation triggered by Trump, investors' concerns about rising inflation and continued pressure on the consumer side have intensified, significantly boosting expectations of "stagflation." The financial market's expectations of "uncertainty" regarding the U.S. economy, the U.S. stock and bond markets, and even the dollar's prospects have also surged recently.

Iqbal Khan, President of UBS Asia Pacific and Co-President of Global Wealth Management, stated that in the current market uncertainty caused by tariffs, the real risk investors face is stagflation.

In recent remarks by senior Federal Reserve officials, a new term has frequently appeared: uncertainty. This phenomenon can be traced back to last week when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell mentioned the term extensively during a press conference on March 19. At that time, the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates unchanged, and Powell mentioned "uncertainty" 22 times in his speech.

Powell's colleagues have also been using the same wording. New York Fed President John Williams used the term 12 times in a speech titled "The Certainty of Uncertainty" last Friday. This week, Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler referred to "increased levels of uncertainty," while St. Louis Fed President Alberto M. Musalem warned that the impact of President Trump's tariffs on inflation carries "considerable uncertainty." In the face of the Trump administration's tariff measures potentially driving the "inflation monster" to sweep across the United States again, American consumers have also expressed that they are facing increasing uncertainty. Due to the uncertainty surrounding Trump's policies, the latest Consumer Confidence Index released by the Conference Board has fallen to its lowest level in over four years