Asian markets rise after US decision to exclude tariffs on electronics

On Monday, April 14, stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region closed higher, reacting to reports that US authorities had excluded dozens of types of electronics from the list of goods subject to new import tariffs. Excluded items include smartphones, tablets, microchips, and computers, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

The decision came unexpectedly amid US President Donald Trump's statements about upcoming tariffs on semiconductor imports.

According to the US President, tariffs on chips and pharmaceuticals will be announced in the coming days. Trump emphasized the intention to move the production of strategically important goods back to the United States, as was previously done with automobiles, steel, and aluminum.

Against this backdrop, China's exports in March increased by 12.4%, reaching $313.9 billion, while imports fell by 4.3%.

China's trade surplus amounted to $102.64 billion. Exports to the US rose by 4.5%, while imports from the US fell by 1.4%, increasing China’s trade surplus with America to $27.58 billion.

• The Shanghai Composite index rose by 0.76%;
• Hang Seng gained 2.4%;
• among the top gainers were CSPC Pharmaceutical (+9.5%) and Alibaba (+5.1%);
• Japan's Nikkei 225 rose by 1.18% thanks to optimistic forecasts from Citigroup and rising tech and pharmaceutical stocks;
• South Korea's Kospi index added 0.95%;
• Australia's S&P/ASX 200 — 1.34%;
• BHP and Rio Tinto shares gained 2.7% and 1.4%, respectively.

Markets interpreted the US signals as a temporary easing of trade pressure and responded with confident growth.

Earlier, the price of gold began to rise due to increasing uncertainty around US foreign economic policy and the weakening of the dollar, supported by Trump’s recent statements about a possible pause in implementing new trade restrictions. Experts do not rule out that the precious metal may soon surpass its previous records.