Highlights
Reports Tuesday said one option Trump is weighing calls for a 20 percent across the board tariff on all US imports. Another option would assign varying tariff levels to countries according to some measure of restriction each country imposes on US exports. A third option calls for tiering of tariffs, varying by product, or a combination of the second and third options. Markets are hoping for clarity, at least, on the president's plans, and if possible, a sense of how long the tariffs will last. Very problematic remains the question of what Trump is trying to accomplish.
In more typical macroeconomic news, markets will pay attention to the US ADP employment report due at 8:15 am ET Wednesday to get a sense of how the job market is faring, and an advance read on Friday's US jobs report. Expectations call for a moderate increase of 120,000 in ADP private payrolls for March. Weekly jobless claims have held pretty stable and suggest employment is holding up as firms wait for clarity on the impact of tariffs, immigration, DOGE austerity measures, and other steps from the Trump administration to remake the economy.