April 17, 2025 — U.S. stocks closed mixed on Thursday in a volatile session, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling for a third straight day as trade war tensions between the U.S. and China continued to pressure investor sentiment — despite President Donald Trump signaling openness to renewed negotiations.

Wall Street surged dramatically on April 9, 2025, after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension on tariffs for many imported goods—excluding China, which will face a sharp increase to 125%. The news triggered a major rally in the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average skyrocketing by more than 2,900 points.

The S&P 500 dropped 0.22%, closing at 5,662.89 on Thursday (March 20), as efforts to rebound from a month-long market downturn failed. Ongoing economic uncertainty continued to weigh heavily on investor sentiment.

On March 18, 2025, Statistics Canada released the Trimmed Consumer Price Index (Trimmed CPI) report for February 2025, showing that: Trimmed CPI (y/y): Increased by 2.7% compared to February 2024, aligning with analysts' expectations of 2.7%, and remained unchanged from the previous month at 2.7%. Trimmed CPI is one of the key inflation measures used by the Bank of Canada (BoC) to assess the country's inflation trends.

Global bond markets are facing a massive sell-off due to rising inflation fears, particularly in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Germany, in particular, is under pressure from its new government's decision to boost defense spending.

Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has expressed concerns over President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, stating that imposing import taxes on goods could negatively impact the economy and drive inflation higher. Ultimately, the financial burden would fall on consumers, who would have to bear the rising costs of goods.

The Core PCE Price Index for January 2025 was released on February 28, 2025. It was projected that inflation would rise 0.3% month-over-month and 2.5% year-over-year Although the annual price growth has slowed, which may ease concerns about accelerating inflation, it is not yet sufficient to prompt the Federal Reserve (Fed) to cut interest rates, as inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target.

Global Debt Hits Record High of $318 Trillion The Institute of International Finance (IIF) reports that global debt has surged to a record $318 trillion in 2024, accounting for 328% of GDP amid a slowing global economy.

On February 21, 2025, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Michele Bullock, delivered a speech before the House of Representatives Economics Committee. She addressed the impact of U.S. import tariffs, which could negatively affect economic growth. However, she noted that the impact on inflation remains uncertain due to variations in exchange rates and international trade patterns.