September S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESU25) are up +0.81%, and September Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQU25) are up +0.78% this morning as U.S. President Donald Trump’s 100% tariff threat on chip exporters included exemptions for firms investing in the U.S., while hopes for a truce in Russia’s war with Ukraine further boosted sentiment.
President Trump announced late Wednesday a roughly 100% tariff on semiconductors entering the U.S., but noted that tech firms like Apple investing in domestic manufacturing would be exempt from the duties. Mr. Trump said that “if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge.” Also aiding sentiment, the Kremlin confirmed that Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are set to hold summit talks in the coming days, fueling hopes for a potential truce in Russia’s war with Ukraine. Increasing speculation that the Federal Reserve will resume rate cuts in September is also buoying sentiment as U.S. reciprocal tariffs took effect against dozens of countries a minute past midnight Washington time on Thursday. In a social-media post, Mr. Trump said, “Billions of dollars in tariffs are now flowing into the United States of America.”
