#TariffsPause

Currently, there is a 90-day pause on 'reciprocal' tariffs, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 9. This step was explained by the necessity of developing trade agreements with 75 countries, which, according to him, approached the White House, and later also by instability in the stock and bond markets.

However, analysts doubt the success of such a sprint. Moreover, the established deadline may limit the potential benefits that the U.S. hopes to gain from these negotiations.

As of now, a number of negotiations have already been announced. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in particular, stated that India might become the first country to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the United States, as it does not have 'such high tariffs.' This country also has 'fewer non-tariff trade barriers, obviously no currency manipulation, very, very small government subsidies, so reaching an agreement with the Indians is much easier,' he noted on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF.

On April 24, Bessent reported that the U.S. and South Korea could reach a 'memorandum of understanding' regarding trade as early as next week.