President Donald Trump has announced exemptions from tariffs for a range of technology products, including smartphones, laptops, chips, and other electronics.
Tech executives and investors had warned the tariffs could cause significant price increases for consumer electronics, with some estimates suggesting U.S. iPhone prices could have tripled. Apple, which manufactures around 80% of iPads and more than half of its Mac computers in China, has reportedly been accelerating its shift to India and Vietnam for production. The U.S. is a major market for Apple, which accounted for more than half of U.S. smartphone sales last year.
Financial markets responded quickly to the exemptions. The S&P 500 surged more than 10% following the announcement of the 90-day pause, while Bitcoin climbed past $85,000. Analysts noted that crypto markets, often correlated with tech stocks, were boosted by renewed investor confidence. Macroeconomic trader Raoul Pal described the tariffs as a negotiation tactic, and Max Keiser argued that exempting certain goods would not stop bond yields from rising.
Despite the policy change, a 20% tariff related to Chinese fentanyl-linked products still applies to the exempted items. Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, confirmed this on social media. Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit a local high of 4.5% on April 11, reflecting investor uncertainty over the broader trade strategy.
Trump, speaking to reporters while traveling to Florida, said the administration would provide more specific details soon. He maintained support for the tariffs overall, describing the revenue generated as beneficial for the U.S. economy and expressing optimism about ongoing trade talks with China.
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators.
This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
