|

US Commerce Secretary Lutnick: We expect rates to come down if we balance the budget

In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that they will make an announcement on Canada and Mexico tariffs later in the day, adding that they will be "in the middle somewhere."

Key takeaways

"If Canada can stop fentanyl, US President Donald Trump is open-minded."

"Trump is thinking about what sectors he can maybe consider giving Canada relief."

"Trump will make the decision. It will be 25% but maybe some categories will be left out."

"Not seeing companies put plans on hold because of tariffs."

"We have to do our work before we announce reciprocal tariff plan on April 2."

"Some tariffs will come on right away, others will come in due course."

"We expect interest rates to come down if we balance the budget."

Market reaction

The US Dollar (USD) stays under selling pressure following these comments. At the time of press, the USD Index was down 0.6% on the day at 104.90.

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD retreats to daily lows near 1.1570

EUR/USD briefly pushed higher earlier in the session, climbing toward the 1.1650 area, but the recovery quickly lost momentum and the pair has drifted back to test the 1.1570 region. A more cautious market mood, driven by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, together with broad-based strength in the US Dollar, is making it difficult for the pair to maintain its footing.

GBP/USD loses the grip, focus is on 1.3300

GBP/USD remains on the defensive on Thursday, hovering around the 1.3320 region. The British Pound is coming under pressure amid growing concerns that rising energy prices could expose the UK economy to stagflation risks, while renewed safe-haven demand for the Greenback continues to weigh on the pair.

Gold falls as demand for the US Dollar resurges

Gold turns lower on Thursday, slipping back toward the $5,100 area. Persistent strength in the US Dollar (USD) is preventing the precious metal from building a meaningful recovery, even as markets remain risk-averse amid the deepening conflict in the Middle East.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP hold weekly gains despite US-Iran war

The cryptocurrency market is gaining strength on Thursday, building on Wednesday's upswing, which saw Bitcoin reach a weekly high above $74,000. Ethereum and Ripple are moderating their recent gains amid uncertainty stemming from the escalating war in the Middle East.

Two PMIs, two Chinas

China’s economic data are often treated with a degree of caution by global investors. The challenge is not necessarily that the numbers are incorrect, but that they can describe very different parts of a vast and complex economy. Nowhere is that more evident than in China’s PMIs.

Ripple tests recovery strength amid steady ETF inflows, growing retail interest

Ripple (XRP) continues to demonstrate notable resilience as the cryptocurrency market navigates the persistent war in the Middle East after the United States (US) and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.