Trade Minister Farrell: Australia’s steel, aluminium exports create good-paying American jobs

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of imposing new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the US, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said Monday that "Australian steel and aluminium is creating thousands of good-paying American jobs, and are key for our shared defence interests.”

Farrell is looking to secure a similar exemption from tariffs it won during the previous Trump presidency in 2018.

Market reaction

AUD/USD is trimming losses to trade near 0.6265, as of writing. The pair is still down 0.10% on the day.

Tariffs FAQs

What are tariffs?

Tariffs are customs duties levied on certain merchandise imports or a category of products. Tariffs are designed to help local producers and manufacturers be more competitive in the market by providing a price advantage over similar goods that can be imported. Tariffs are widely used as tools of protectionism, along with trade barriers and import quotas.

What is the difference between taxes and tariffs?

Although tariffs and taxes both generate government revenue to fund public goods and services, they have several distinctions. Tariffs are prepaid at the port of entry, while taxes are paid at the time of purchase. Taxes are imposed on individual taxpayers and businesses, while tariffs are paid by importers.

Are tariffs good or bad?

There are two schools of thought among economists regarding the usage of tariffs. While some argue that tariffs are necessary to protect domestic industries and address trade imbalances, others see them as a harmful tool that could potentially drive prices higher over the long term and lead to a damaging trade war by encouraging tit-for-tat tariffs.

What is US President Donald Trump’s tariff plan?

During the run-up to the presidential election in November 2024, Donald Trump made it clear that he intends to use tariffs to support the US economy and American producers. In 2024, Mexico, China and Canada accounted for 42% of total US imports. In this period, Mexico stood out as the top exporter with $466.6 billion, according to the US Census Bureau. Hence, Trump wants to focus on these three nations when imposing tariffs. He also plans to use the revenue generated through tariffs to lower personal income taxes.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

USD/JPY eyes August swing low, near 155.20 ahead of US NFP

USD/JPY retests the August monthly swing low during the Asian session on Friday as a more hawkish repricing of BoJ rate-hike bets and a suspected intervention continue to underpin the Japanese Yen. Meanwhile, the US Dollar is seen consolidating the previous day's heavy losses amid soft US bond yields, further weighing on the currency pair as traders keenly await the US NFP report.

AUD/USD consolidates above 0.7200; US NFP awaited

AUD/USD holds steady above 0.7200, near its highest level since mid-May, as bulls await the US NFP report for more cues on the Fed's policy path before placing fresh bets. Meanwhile, the recent decline in US bond yields keeps the US Dollar depressed near its lowest level in over a week and acts as a tailwind for the Aussie amid the RBA's hawkish tilt.

Gold: Tempered hawkish Fed bets lift it near $4,500

Gold price holds onto Thursday’s gains at around $4,470 as traders trim Fed’s interest rate expectations. Hawkish Fed bets cool down after expression of confidence from Fed’s Waller that price pressures are decelerating. Investors keenly await the US NFP data for August.

Bitcoin clears $80,000 on reduced rate hike odds – Zcash, Ethena rise

Bitcoin is trading above $80,000 on Friday, sustaining the broader cryptocurrency market's risk-on sentiment. Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Christopher Waller signaled support for a potential pause in interest rates on Thursday, lowering the odds of a September rate hike to 50%. Zcash (ZEC) and Ethena (ENA) emerge as top performers over the last 24 hours.

NFP preview: Can jobs data ease rate hike fears?

As we move to the end of the week, the focus shifts to the macro data, and to the strength of the labour market in the US. August payrolls are released on Friday at 1330 BST, and the market is expecting a reading of 58k. The unemployment rate is expected to remain steady at 4.1% and wage growth is expected to moderate slightly to 3% last month, down from 3.2%.

Diesel’s record $100 warning: The oil shock hiding in plain sight

The Oil market may look calmer than it did a few months ago, but diesel is sending a very different message. The US diesel crack spread, the premium of ultra-low sulphur diesel futures over WTI, recently surged above $100 per barrel for the first time, reaching an intraday record of just over $102.00.