Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Stagger as Investors Juggle Tariff Talks—Will Crypto Outpace Them All?
Markets wobble while tariffs steal the spotlight—meanwhile, Bitcoin barely flinches. Classic.
Wall Street's dance with uncertainty continues as trade tensions dominate headlines. The Dow and S&P 500 play tug-of-war with gains, while the Nasdaq teeters—proof that even giants get spooked by political theater.
Behind the scenes? Algorithms twitch, hedge funds hedge, and your 401(k) quietly weeps. But decentralized assets? They’re too busy eating volatility for breakfast.
One thing’s clear: while traditional markets hyperventilate over tariffs, crypto’s already priced it in—and moved on. Wake us when the suits catch up.
Q3 starts slow
While investor sentiment remains largely upbeat, Wall Street is starting slow for Q3 amid potential headwinds around trade talks.
Focus on Trump’s mega budget bill, which had the U.S. Senate vote overnight, and fresh feuding between the president and Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk has markets a little on edge. This indeed saw the Tesla stock price pare gains on Tuesday, with TRUMP suggesting DOGE may have to take a look at the subsidies offered to Musk’s companies.
The outlook in the cryptocurrency market signalled a lack of upside conviction, with Bitcoin (BTC) shedding gains to below $107k. Analysts at Bitfinex say BTC could see range-bound trading amid a historically unimpressive Q3 for bulls.
Tariffs and Jerome Powell’s speech
As noted, market attention has shifted from the hostilities in the Middle East, with the Israel-Iran hostilities down, to potential downside catalysts.
The tariffs front has Trump’s July 9 deadline in focus, with reports suggesting WHITE House is eyeing “narrowed” deals. Financial Times reported this to be the administration’s goal well before the date of the “reciprocal” tariffs rolls in.
Elsewhere, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell will speak on Tuesday, with this coming amid the latest push from Trump regarding interest rate cuts. While the Fed hasn’t signalled such a move, investors are betting on a cut in coming months. Investors will also be keen on this week’s economic data reports, including the June jobs report.
