Stonehage Fleming's Gerrit Smit: US stocks immune from tariff turmoil

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World equity markets had already experienced the worst monthly performance for a year and a half before the announcement of sweeping US import tariffs on 2 April sent stocks plunging.

While the S&P 500 has recouped its losses since then, buoyed by the 90-day pause for negotiations and initial tariff reduction agreement with China, lingering uncertainty over policy direction and the plight of the US economy has rattled investors and shaken faith in its exceptionalism story. While trade tensions appear to be cooling, US tariffs of 30% on Chinese imports will still have a significant impact on some corporate profits in the US, even if there is a possibility of the overall rate falling further. Deep Dive: US dollar is not 'dead' but cracks raise concerns Not all cor...