Tariff Tantrum
A burst of market turmoil triggered by sudden, sweeping tariff announcements.
In plain English
A burst of market turmoil triggered by sudden, sweeping tariff announcements.
A tariff tantrum is what markets do when tariffs land harder or faster than expected: stocks slump, volatility spikes and currencies lurch. The term spread in April 2025, when sweeping US tariff announcements set off a sharp global sell-off in stocks and a wobble in US government bonds and the dollar.
The phrase deliberately echoes the 2013 taper tantrum: a policy announcement, a violent market reaction, and policymakers then adjusting course.
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