The United States has imposed a new wave of tariffs on approximately 60 countries, including major economies such as China, Japan, South Korea, India, and European Union member states.
The duties, which range from 10% to 12.5%, were implemented late Thursday, hours before a temporary 10% blanket levy was set to expire.
This marks a significant pivot in the Trump administration’s trade strategy, replacing sweeping universal levies with targeted measures justified by allegations of forced labour.
The shift in tariff structure is likely to generate less immediate global market shock than the previous blanket levies, according to reports.
By narrowing the scope to specific labour-related concerns, the administration aims to maintain pressure on trading partners while potentially reducing the broad-based inflationary impact associated with universal tariffs.
Markets are digesting the implications of this recalibration, with investors assessing the risk of further supply-chain disruptions.