
Global Finance Upended by Trump Tariff Reckoning Few Saw Coming
By , Claudia Cohen, Max Abelson, and Arno Schuetze
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This is not what global financiers had in mind when they placed their bets on Trump 2.0.
Less than 100 days into the new US administration, bankers from Wall Street to Shanghai's Pudong and the City of London are bracing for soured loans, canceled deals, forfeited fees — and perhaps threats to their own jobs. Credit markets are paralyzed, while mergers and initial stock offerings are being pulled amid fears of recession.

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CNBC
4 days ago
- CNBC
'London is back:' Mayor — and Trump critic — Sadiq Khan looks to lure businesses from the U.S.
"London is back," the capital's Mayor Sadiq Khan told CNBC on Wednesday, laying out his ambition to attract investors, visitors and students who are looking for an alternative to the U.S amid an uncertain Trump 2.0 era. "At a time of growing international instability, at a time when there are, let's be frank, choppy political waters in the U.S., we're that rare thing — somewhere that's stable, that's open, that's diverse. A brilliant environment for innovation, creativity and business," the mayor of London told CNBC's Tania Bryer. U.S. President Donald Trump's often mercurial position on trade, immigration and visa policies have rattled markets as well as businesses, tourists and students looking to make the U.S. their base. Khan said the U.K. was seeing an increase in interest from American businesses and individuals looking to avoid more uncertain economic times and societal changes at home. "They're our closest ally ... so I don't see America as competition, I see them as our great partner and long may that continue, but I recognize the reality of the last few months which is that some American businesses, individuals and people in different sectors who, for a variety of reasons, are looking for somewhere new." "My message is very simple: actually in London we have everything you could possibly want, not only in terms of our stability, openness and diversity, but our values too." There's no love lost between Khan and Trump, with the former in 2019 calling the president a "poster boy" for the far right. Trump fired back at the time, calling the mayor "a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me." With Trump winning a second term in office last November, critics like Khan have had to take a more diplomatic stance as the U.K. government under the Labour Party, which Khan belongs to, has looked to build bridges with the Trump administration. Despite their political differences, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to have curried favor with Anglophile Trump, with the leaders seemingly getting on well and Starmer winning a much sought-after trade deal with the U.S. last month, averting many of the punitive trade tariffs facing other U.S. allies and adversaries alike. "What's important is for all of us to put aside out personal views when it's in the national interest to do so," Khan said, adding that "we can't escape the fact though that there are some things that the president has said or done that are controversial, and it's really important that we speak up on things we agree with, but also on things we disagree with."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Kill Bill': Elon Musk urges Americans to rebel against president's policy, but White House says his ‘debt slavery' claims are a hoax
Elon Musk has publicly condemned Donald Trump's signature economic plan, calling the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' an 'abomination' and accusing it of undoing the cost-cutting work achieved by his Department of Government Efficiency. In response, the White House dismissed Musk's criticisms as a 'hoax,' issuing a detailed rebuttal claiming the bill will reduce the deficit by $6.6 trillion over the next decade through tariffs, spending cuts, and regulatory rollbacks—while also promising unprecedented economic growth. When the Musk-Trump partnership first began, many speculated how long it would last—and what would push the pair apart. Four months later, the punters have their answer: Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' has been slammed as an 'abomination' by the Tesla CEO. Overnight the richest man on Earth ramped up his campaign against the fiscal linchpin of Trump 2.0, sharing a Kill Bill poster on his X timeline and labelling it the 'Debt Slavery Bill.' He also urged voters to protest the policy, adding online: 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' Musk's foray into politics began with financially backing then-Republican nominee Trump, before making his Washington D.C. debut as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a special government employee. But the central spending bill of Trump 2.0—promising the largest tax cuts 'in history'—has drawn criticism from Musk as undoing all of the cost-cutting and efficiency work carried out by his DOGE team. While the Trump team claim the policies in the bill will boost GDP by 2.6% to 3.2% in the long term and increase take-home pay for median income households by $5,000 a year, previous projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found the legislation would add $3.8 trillion to the deficit while proposed cuts to Medicaid would shave only $1 trillion in spending. Meanwhile DOGE, which was originally tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the public deficit before the number was quickly marked down, cost Musk not only billions wiped off his personal wealth but also the reputational and criminal damage suffered by EV-maker Tesla as a result of the company's ties to the Trump administration. This is a point Musk himself has pointed out, posting on the social media platform he owns: '[The bill] more than defeats all the cost savings achieved by the @DOGE team at great personal cost and risk.' Other sources have suggested that Musk ramping up his attacks on the Oval Office are the result of another perceived slight: Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA being pulled by Trump. The president said Isaacman, a close ally of Musk, had been taken out of the running 'after a thorough review of prior associations.' Isaacman, who until recently led payments company Shift4, countered in an interview this week that his nomination was nixed just as Musk left Washington D.C., saying: 'I don't want to play dumb on this. I don't think the timing was much of a coincidence.' Citing anonymous sources, the Wall Street Journal reported Musk was 'infuriated' by the decision, making him more willing to criticize Trump. Musk did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment. It's unusual for the president to be criticized so publicly and not bite back. Instead, the White House is sticking to a playbook used by Musk himself: Calling such claims a 'hoax.' In a rebuttal published by the Oval Office yesterday, the Trump administration said statements such as 'The One Big Beautiful Bill increases spending' and 'The One Big Beautiful Bill adds to the deficit' are false. Instead the article, positioned as a 'mythbuster', lays out a number of 'facts,' including: 'Upon enactment the bill—and through increased tariffs revenues, discretionary spending cuts, and reversing Biden-era regulations—the Trump Administration will have taken actions that reduce deficits by at least $6.6 trillion over the next decade.' For example, the White House points to the CBO's predictions that while tariffs will shrink the economy it will also reduce federal deficits by $2.8 trillion (the inclusion of the One Big Beautiful Bill in its modeling is not mentioned). It adds: 'By every honest metric, President Donald J. Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill dramatically improves the fiscal trajectory of the United States and unleashes an era of unprecedented economic growth.' The White House did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment. House Speaker Mike Johnson also chimed in this week that President Trump is 'not delighted that Elon did a 180' and added the SpaceX founder is 'flat wrong.' So while President Trump gifted Musk a ceremonial 'key the White House' during a ceremony to mark his departure from government only last week, the Tesla CEO may find out the Oval Office has already changed the locks. This story was originally featured on

Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business Insider
Treasury and dollar slides reignite 'Sell America' fears. But there's still a buying opportunity in one corner of US debt.
Treasurys have been under scrutiny amid President Donald Trump's trade policies, with long-dated debt facing pressure. But analysts say there is still opportunity in the bond market. Short-dated Treasurys are still seen as safe amid the dollar's dominance and likely Federal Reserve interest rate cuts should the economy enter a downturn. "We have seen a bit more outflow from US dollar bonds, but I don't see anything that will be replacing the US dollar in the future," Warut Promboon, the managing partner at Hong Kong-based research firm Bondcritic, told Business Insider. His comments come as 30-year yields recently climbed above 5% — a sign of weaker demand as investors grow wary of locking in lending to the US government for decades. Warut, who has over 20 years of experience in the bond market, is advising clients to lean into gold and shorter-dated dollar bonds, such as five-year Treasurys. While Warut isn't bearish on 10-year Treasurys, he prefers the five-year term debt due to its shorter maturity and lower exposure to long-term volatility. His comments come amid an unusual divergence in Treasury yields, which have risen, and the dollar, which has declined — a trend that some have termed the "Sell America trade." His take echoes a recent call from Goldman Sachs, which last week recommended adding gold and short-term Treasurys to portfolios. Gold prices reached a record high of over $3,500 per ounce in April as investors fled to the time-tested store of value due to unprecedented uncertainty. Caution over longer-dated Treasurys Due to Trump's import tariffs and policy uncertainty, analysts are uncertain about the longer-term outlook for growth and bond yields. "The broader structural story is that US economic exceptionalism is fading as the burden of twin deficits grows heavier," wrote analysts at Deutsche Bank on Monday, referring to the US's fiscal and current account deficit. The analysts said they are bearish on the dollar and see upward pressure on bond yields. "The dollar's dominance is waning; valuation and capital flow dynamics are taking over," the Deutsche Bank analysts added. However, it may be premature to assume that the divergence in the dollar and Treasury yields is a permanent feature, wrote Vishnu Varathan, Mizuho's head of macro research for Asia, excluding Japan. "The negative flip in USD-UST yield correlation arguably reflects a temporary recalibration process of risk re-pricing, even if it is abrupt and non-linear," he wrote. "Specifically, to account for a conspiracy of fiscal, credit, trade, geo-economic risks in the wake of brutal Trump 2.0 tariff and wider geo-economic assault that has inflicted untold US self-harm," Varathan wrote. The recent developments in the usually stable Treasury markets are raising fears of a US debt crisis. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed the issue directly, saying categorically that the US is "never going to default" on its debt. "That is never going to happen," Bessent told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "We are on the warning track, and we will never hit the wall."