Investors Eye Tariff Deadline as US Stocks Rally

Investors will be keeping a close eye on tariff headlines out of Washington next week, as a temporary suspension of punitive import levies is set to expire.

If that Wednesday deadline passes without an increase in trade tensions, it could prove positive for the markets.

Reuters is reporting that negotiators from more than a dozen major U.S. trading partners are rushing to reach agreements with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration by July 9 to avoid even higher tariffs.

Trump and his team have kept up the pressure in recent days.

On Wednesday, the US president announced a deal with Vietnam that he says will impose a lower-than-promised 20 per cent tariff on many Vietnamese exports.

The administration has teased a forthcoming deal with India, while talks with Japan, the sixth-largest U.S. trading partner and closest ally in Asia, appeared to hit roadblocks.