Will Trump's tariffs end the bull run?
Mr Donald Trump's latest tariff announcements have caused the effective tariff rate on US imports to jump nearly ninefold in 2025.
SINGAPORE – Despite a wall of worry, stock markets have been on a tear. The MSCI All Country World Index, a measure of global equities, has risen by about 25 per cent over the past four months.
This begs the question of whether markets are ripe for a correction or even a sharp pullback now that US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs for most countries
have finally kicked in from Aug 7.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Singapore Shopping Centre relaunched for collective sale at lower $200m asking price
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The asking price of $200 million is 21.6 per cent lower than the $255 million reserve price in 2020. SINGAPORE - The strata owners of Singapore Shopping Centre are making another attempt at a collective sale – this time at a lower asking price of $200 million, down 21.6 per cent from the $255 million reserve price listed in its previous attempt in 2020. The lower asking price translates to a land rate of between $2,800 and $3,500 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr), depending on the proposed land use and development intensity. Spanning 2,449.8 square metres (sq m), the site is zoned for commercial use with a 4.2 plot ratio under the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Draft Master Plan 2019. It can be redeveloped for hotel use at the same plot ratio, or the existing building can be adaptively repurposed for hotel use based on its current gross floor area, reflecting an equivalent plot ratio of 5.1296. The subdivision of commercial properties is generally not allowed along Orchard Road, However, the Singapore Shopping Centre site lies just outside this URA-designated zone, said sole marketing agent ETC on Aug 18. 'This gives the developer the flexibility to strata-subdivide the space if desired.' ETC has submitted an enquiry to the authorities to renew the lease to a fresh 99-year period. Swee Shou Fern, head of investment advisory at ETC, said: 'With the precinct undergoing a wave of transformation, from green public spaces like Dhoby Ghaut Green to upcoming new developments, we see strong potential for this site to become a new anchor for this end of Orchard Road.' She added: 'Combined with the flexibility for redevelopment or adaptive reuse, this property offers developers limitless potential to create a standout destination in one of Singapore's most recognisable corridors.' The seven-storey retail and office development, located at 190 Clemenceau Avenue, is opposite Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. It has a triple-road frontage onto Clemenceau Avenue, Penang Road and Penang Lane. The development has an existing gross floor area of about 12,566.5 sq m. The building is in close proximity to 9 Penang road which houses UBS, Plaza Singapura, MacDonald House that will be occupied by private members' club Vanta, as well as the Singapore Management University. The building was first launched for collective sale in July 2019 at a reserve price of $255 million. It was relaunched half a year later at an unchanged reserve price, but there were no takers then either.

Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- Straits Times
German minister says China ‘increasingly aggressive'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mr Wadephul also criticised 'China's support for the Russian war machine' in Ukraine. TOKYO - Germany's foreign minister hit out on Aug 18 at what he called China's repeated threats to 'unilaterally change' borders in the Asia-Pacific region, calling Beijing 'increasingly aggressive'. 'China repeatedly threatens, more or less openly, to unilaterally change the status quo and shift borders in its favour,' Mr Johann Wadephul said in Japan, citing China's behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas. 'Any escalation in this sensitive hub of international trade would have serious consequences for global security and the world economy,' Mr Wadephul said after talks with Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya. A statement issued on Aug 17 before Mr Wadephul's visit to Japan – and later Indonesia – said that China was 'increasingly asserting its regional supremacy and, in doing so, is also questioning principles of international law.' 'China's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also has implications for us in Europe: fundamental principles of our global coexistence are at stake here,' the statement quoted Mr Wadephul as saying. In the joint press statement in Tokyo, Mr Wadephul also criticised 'China's support for the Russian war machine' in Ukraine. 'Without it, the war of aggression against Ukraine would not be possible. China is Russia's largest supplier of dual-use goods and Russia's best oil and gas customer,' Mr Wadephul said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025 a rallying cry amid significant challenges facing Singapore, say analysts Singapore NDR 2025: The case for growing old at home in super-ageing Singapore Singapore WP urges Government to engage widely, explore all solutions following National Day Rally 2025 Opinion A 'we first' Singapore is the hardest policy for PM Lawrence Wong to deliver Singapore Age Well Neighbourhoods, job-matching by CDCs: 10 highlights from PM Wong's National Day Rally speech Singapore LTA, public transport operators join anti-vaping effort with stepped-up enforcement World Trump, tech and Texas: What's next for the US? Singapore 3 foreigners arrested for working illegally as delivery riders in Singapore: Koh Poh Koon He also said ahead of talks later on Aug 18 between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that security guarantees for Kyiv were 'crucial'. Mr Trump's summit on Aug 15 with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska 'made it clear that for a just and lasting peace, Moscow must finally act. Until that happens, pressure on Russia must be increased, including with increased aid to Ukraine,' Mr Wadephul said. The talks on Aug 18 in Washington are about establishing 'the elements of a negotiated solution on the path to a just peace for Ukraine,' he said. 'Firm security guarantees are crucial for this. Because Ukraine must be able to defend itself effectively even after a ceasefire and peace agreement.' AFP


CNA
36 minutes ago
- CNA
Dutch crypto firm Amdax aims to launch Bitcoin treasury company on Euronext
Amsterdam-based cryptocurrency service provider Amdax plans to launch a bitcoin treasury company called AMBTS (Amsterdam Bitcoin Treasury Strategy) on the Dutch stock exchange, Amdax said on Monday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: Amdax's plans highlight the growing appeal of bitcoin, which has hit record highs this month. "With now over 10 per cent of bitcoin supply held by corporations, governments and institutions, we think the time is right to establish a bitcoin treasury company with the aim to obtain a listing on Euronext Amsterdam, as one of the leading exchanges in Europe," said Amdax CEO Lucas Wensing. BY THE NUMBERS: Bitcoin has risen nearly 32 per cent so far in 2025, reaching record highs, on the back of regulatory victories for the sector following President Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump has called himself the "crypto president" and his family has made a series of forays into the sector over the past year. Amdax and AMBTS plan to raise capital from a number of private investors in an initial financing round, and the long-term ambition of AMBTS is to own at minimum 1 per cent of all bitcoin over time.