Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan criticised the Trump administration’s new reciprocal tariffs, calling them a ‘self-goal’ that will harm the US economy in the short term. Rajan notes that the impact on India will be relatively smaller and suggests India reduce domestic tariffs to boost trade and competitiveness despite the global trend towards protectionism.

Approximately $1.7 trillion was wiped from the US’ S&P 500 Index as markets opened due to fears of President Trump’s tariffs potentially triggering a recession. Key companies like Apple, Nike, and Walmart, with overseas manufacturing, recorded major declines.

The US trade deficit narrowed by 6.1% to $122.7 billion in February before President Trump launched new tariffs. US exports rose while imports remained nearly unchanged. Analysts expect these tariffs to impact businesses’ supply chains and costs, potentially affecting imports and exports in the coming months as new tariffs take effect.