3 Minutes
Trump pushes global tariff rate to 15% as markets watch
Former US President Donald Trump this weekend announced an immediate increase in the worldwide tariff rate from 10% to 15%. The move, publicized on his social channel, follows a prior announcement that relied on alternative trade statutes after a court limited his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The tariff decision adds to an already complex trade landscape and has drawn scrutiny from legal experts and investors alike.
Legal framework cited for the increase
Trump’s team said the higher rate is being implemented under provisions of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and the Trade Act of 1974 rather than IEEPA. Those laws grant the executive branch certain authorities to impose tariffs, but legal analysts argue those powers are constrained by scope and duration. The administration framed the step as a response to persistent trade imbalances.
What attorneys say about limits on the tariffs
Pro-crypto attorney Adam Cochran noted that the statutes invoked come with built-in limitations: they typically apply to nations with which the US runs a trade deficit, include time-bound measures and often cap the permissible tariff rate for a specified period. In practice, that suggests the 15% rate may face legal and procedural boundaries, and could be subject to future review or challenge.
Crypto markets largely unshaken by headlines
Historically, abrupt trade-policy shifts have triggered volatility across global equities and crypto markets. This time, however, digital assets showed resilience. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) barely budged after the announcement, and broader altcoin market capitalization was only modestly affected.
Market snapshot
At the time of reporting, Bitcoin was trading near $68,000 and Ether hovered around $1,976. The Total3 indicator — which measures the combined market cap of altcoins excluding BTC and ETH — dipped by less than 1% and sits near $713 billion. Traders and institutional investors appear to have absorbed the headlines without initiating wide-scale sell-offs.
Bitcoin’s price barely reacted to the Trump tariff announcements on Friday and Saturday.
Why crypto may be more resilient this time
Several factors could explain the muted reaction: a market that has adjusted to geopolitical noise, improved liquidity in major crypto markets, and investors differentiating between short-term headline risk and fundamentals like network adoption and macro liquidity conditions. Still, prolonged trade conflicts or escalations could heighten macroeconomic uncertainty and feed into risk-on and risk-off cycles that impact crypto price action.
Looking ahead, market participants will monitor legal challenges to the tariff move, any implementing regulations, and whether tariffs are targeted by country or applied broadly. For traders and long-term crypto investors, staying informed on regulatory and macro developments remains essential as the sector continues to intersect with traditional trade policy and global financial markets.
Source: cointelegraph
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