The Dollar edged lower on Wednesday, while other currencies remained within tight ranges as traders awaited details on US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, which could disrupt the global trading system and unsettle financial markets.
The Euro was last trading at $1.0802, while the Pound stood at $1.2941, both gaining slightly ahead of a scheduled White House Rose Garden announcement at 20:00 GMT, where significant new import duties are expected to be unveiled.
For weeks, Trump has hailed 2nd April as “Liberation Day,” and according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, reciprocal tariffs on countries that levy duties on US goods will take effect immediately following Trump’s announcement.
“Markets are going to be jittery ahead of the announcement,” stated Carol Kong, Commonwealth Bank of Australia currency strategist.
“Sentiment is going to be driven by any further tariff headlines and in turn that will drive currency moves ahead of the big announcement.”
The Dollar dipped 0.3% against the Yen to 149.24 as investors shifted cautiously toward the safe-haven Japanese currency, Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, the Australian Dollar rose 0.44% to $0.6306, possibly benefiting from investor interest in currencies less vulnerable to tariffs.
The exact size and scope of the upcoming trade barriers remain unclear. However, Trump’s aides are considering a broad plan to increase duties by approximately 20% on goods from nearly every country, rather than focusing on specific nations or products, according to a report by The Washington Post.
“A wide blanket tariff globally capturing all the major trading partners with a 20%-25% tariff would be seen as most aggressive and likely elicit the biggest risk-off reaction,” said Derek Halpenny, head of research at MUFG.
“But there has been speculation that discussions on trade deals could exclude certain countries … and the more examples of that, the better the markets can take the announcements,” he added.
Concerns over a growing global trade war’s impact on the US economy, combined with a series of weaker-than-expected economic reports, have fuelled recession fears and weighed on the Dollar this year.
On Wednesday, the greenback slipped 0.1% against a basket of currencies to 104.08, following a 3.1% decline in March, its worst monthly performance since November 2022.
Furthermore, Tuesday’s data revealed that US manufacturing contracted in March, while factory-gate inflation surged to its highest level in nearly three years, reflecting growing concerns over the impact of import tariffs.
“While a 20% blanket tariff rate would be theoretically seen as a net positive for the US Dollar, the market is most intently focused on whether tariffs accelerate the stagflation risk in the US economy,” according to Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone.