Anabelle Colaco
03 Jul 2025, 01:10 GMT+10
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook and ongoing uncertainty around key trade negotiations.
Investors continue to digest the implications of President Donald Trump's proposed tax and spending legislation, which faces hurdles in the House, even within the Republican party. The sweeping bill, with an estimated cost of US$3.3 trillion, has sparked fears of a sharply rising U.S. deficit.
"You have a weak dollar due to a potentially large increase in our budget deficit, and you have continued uncertainty around these tariff deals," said Eugene Epstein, head of structuring for North America at Moneycorp in New Jersey.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has added more fuel to market uncertainty, warning that tariffs could rise sharply on July 9, even for nations currently negotiating in good faith. "Any potential extensions will be up to Trump," he said. He also noted that recent adjustments to a May deal with China had resolved issues around shipments of rare earths and magnets to the U.S.
"We had this positive news from the EU for a little bit, and we had potential positive deals coming up, but then you had Trump doing a temporary about-face on Friday on Canada and so forth," Epstein said.
Amid shifting headlines—from fiscal policy and tariff battles to Middle East tensions—Epstein summed up the market mood: "It's kind of rotating a game of musical chairs… once one thing passes and the other thing is focused on."
The Bank for International Settlements recently warned that U.S. trade policies risk triggering global financial instability, reinforcing investor caution.
Get a daily dose of Africa Leader news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Africa Leader.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...
GENEVA, Switzerland: A new United Nations report alleges that dozens of global corporations are profiting from and helping sustain...
LONDON, UK - Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have voted overwhelmingly to proscribe the direct-action group Palestine Action as a terrorist...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama is set to address a significant three-day conference of Buddhist leaders this week, coinciding with...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: In a significant ruling last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring age verification for users...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Grammarly is doubling down on AI-powered productivity tools with the acquisition of Superhuman, a sleek...
NEW YORK, New York -U.S. stock markets closed with broad gains on Thursday, led by strong performances in U.S. tech stocks, while European...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
PARIS, France: L'Oréal is making a fresh play in the booming premium haircare segment with a new acquisition. The French beauty conglomerate...
MENLO PARK, California: Robinhood is giving European investors a new way to tap into America's most prominent tech names — without...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...