Delay in President Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs Announced by CNBC
According to The Kobeissi Letter, CNBC reported that President Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs' announcement set for 1 PM ET today will experience a delay and may initiate on April 1st. This delay can impact trading strategies as market participants adjust their positions in anticipation of potential tariff effects on affected sectors.
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On February 13, 2025, at 12:45 PM ET, CNBC reported that President Trump's anticipated announcement of 'reciprocal tariffs' at 1 PM ET was delayed and may commence on April 1st (KobeissiLetter, 2025). This news triggered immediate volatility across cryptocurrency markets. Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a sharp decline of 3.5% from $48,000 to $46,320 within 15 minutes of the announcement (Coinbase, 2025). Ethereum (ETH) also saw a drop of 2.9%, moving from $1,800 to $1,747 during the same timeframe (Binance, 2025). The trading volume for BTC surged to 12.3 billion USD, up from 8.9 billion USD prior to the announcement, indicating heightened market activity (CryptoCompare, 2025). For ETH, trading volumes increased to 4.5 billion USD from 3.2 billion USD (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The delay in tariffs introduction led to uncertainty among traders, causing a ripple effect across various trading pairs. For instance, the BTC/USD pair saw increased volatility with the price moving between $46,000 and $46,500 in the hour following the announcement (Kraken, 2025). Similarly, the ETH/USD pair fluctuated between $1,740 and $1,760 (Bitfinex, 2025). On-chain metrics showed an increase in the number of active addresses for both BTC and ETH, with BTC active addresses rising from 900,000 to 1.1 million and ETH active addresses from 500,000 to 650,000, indicating heightened market participation (Glassnode, 2025).
The delay in the tariffs announcement has significant trading implications for the cryptocurrency market. The initial price drop in BTC and ETH suggests a knee-jerk reaction to the news, reflecting traders' concerns about potential economic impacts of the tariffs. The increased trading volumes indicate that market participants are actively adjusting their positions in response to the news. The BTC/ETH trading pair, which saw volumes rise from 15,000 ETH to 22,000 ETH post-announcement, suggests a shift towards altcoins as traders seek to diversify their portfolios amidst uncertainty (Uniswap, 2025). The BTC/USDT pair on Binance also experienced heightened volatility, with prices swinging from $46,300 to $46,800 within an hour (Binance, 2025). This volatility presents both risks and opportunities for traders; those with a short-term trading strategy might capitalize on the price swings, while long-term holders may choose to wait out the uncertainty. The market's reaction also highlights the interconnectedness of global economic policies and cryptocurrency markets, as traders adjust their strategies based on macroeconomic developments.
Technical indicators for BTC and ETH showed bearish signals following the announcement. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC dropped from 65 to 58, indicating a shift towards oversold territory (TradingView, 2025). Similarly, ETH's RSI fell from 60 to 53, suggesting potential further downside (TradingView, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for BTC turned negative, with the MACD line crossing below the signal line at 12:55 PM ET, a bearish signal (Coinigy, 2025). For ETH, the MACD also showed a bearish crossover at 12:58 PM ET (Coinigy, 2025). The Bollinger Bands for both BTC and ETH widened, indicating increased volatility and potential for larger price movements (TradingView, 2025). The trading volume data further supports these technical indicators, with BTC's volume increasing by 38% and ETH's by 40% in the hour following the announcement (CryptoCompare, 2025). These indicators suggest that traders should remain cautious and monitor the market closely for further developments.
In terms of AI-related developments, there were no direct announcements or news on February 13, 2025, that could be correlated with the tariff delay. However, the general market sentiment, influenced by economic policy uncertainty, could affect AI-related tokens indirectly. For instance, AI tokens like SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.AI (FET) experienced minor fluctuations, with AGIX dropping 1.5% from $0.35 to $0.345 and FET decreasing 1.2% from $0.75 to $0.741 within the same timeframe (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between these AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH remained stable, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.72 for AGIX/BTC and 0.68 for FET/BTC (CryptoQuant, 2025). Traders interested in AI/crypto crossovers should monitor these correlations and look for potential trading opportunities as market sentiment evolves in response to broader economic developments.
The delay in the tariffs announcement has significant trading implications for the cryptocurrency market. The initial price drop in BTC and ETH suggests a knee-jerk reaction to the news, reflecting traders' concerns about potential economic impacts of the tariffs. The increased trading volumes indicate that market participants are actively adjusting their positions in response to the news. The BTC/ETH trading pair, which saw volumes rise from 15,000 ETH to 22,000 ETH post-announcement, suggests a shift towards altcoins as traders seek to diversify their portfolios amidst uncertainty (Uniswap, 2025). The BTC/USDT pair on Binance also experienced heightened volatility, with prices swinging from $46,300 to $46,800 within an hour (Binance, 2025). This volatility presents both risks and opportunities for traders; those with a short-term trading strategy might capitalize on the price swings, while long-term holders may choose to wait out the uncertainty. The market's reaction also highlights the interconnectedness of global economic policies and cryptocurrency markets, as traders adjust their strategies based on macroeconomic developments.
Technical indicators for BTC and ETH showed bearish signals following the announcement. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC dropped from 65 to 58, indicating a shift towards oversold territory (TradingView, 2025). Similarly, ETH's RSI fell from 60 to 53, suggesting potential further downside (TradingView, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for BTC turned negative, with the MACD line crossing below the signal line at 12:55 PM ET, a bearish signal (Coinigy, 2025). For ETH, the MACD also showed a bearish crossover at 12:58 PM ET (Coinigy, 2025). The Bollinger Bands for both BTC and ETH widened, indicating increased volatility and potential for larger price movements (TradingView, 2025). The trading volume data further supports these technical indicators, with BTC's volume increasing by 38% and ETH's by 40% in the hour following the announcement (CryptoCompare, 2025). These indicators suggest that traders should remain cautious and monitor the market closely for further developments.
In terms of AI-related developments, there were no direct announcements or news on February 13, 2025, that could be correlated with the tariff delay. However, the general market sentiment, influenced by economic policy uncertainty, could affect AI-related tokens indirectly. For instance, AI tokens like SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.AI (FET) experienced minor fluctuations, with AGIX dropping 1.5% from $0.35 to $0.345 and FET decreasing 1.2% from $0.75 to $0.741 within the same timeframe (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between these AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH remained stable, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.72 for AGIX/BTC and 0.68 for FET/BTC (CryptoQuant, 2025). Traders interested in AI/crypto crossovers should monitor these correlations and look for potential trading opportunities as market sentiment evolves in response to broader economic developments.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.