Trump's tariff threat rattles markets from Mexico to Indonesia
Mexican peso falls to levels just shy of a 2-year low
Thai baht and Indonesian rupiah slump around 0.4%
EM Asian stocks mixed
By Shivangi Lahiri
Nov 26 (Reuters) -Mexico's peso slipped to around a two-year low on Tuesday, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump vowed to impose additional tariffs on its southern neighbour as well as Canada and China, while the dollar gained against most Asian currencies.
The Mexican peso MXN= slumped as much as 2.3% to near its lowest level since August 2022, before paring some losses to trade down 1.2%.
"Whilst the market maybe cautious of the risk that Trump maybe incrementally introducing the tariffs, we do note the possibility that the final imposition may not be quite the same as what was proposed by him," analysts at Maybank said.
Trump would impose additional 10% tariffs on exports from China, and 25% tariffs on all exports from Mexico and Canada, he said in a post on Truth Social network on Monday.
The Canadian dollar CAD=D3 dropped as much as 1.4% to a four-year low, while China's yuan CNY=CFXS fell 0.1%, its lowest since July.
The U.S. dollar erased a huge chunk of Monday's losses after Wall Street veteran Scott Bessent being picked as Trump's Treasury Secretary choice was seen as a positive move for those looking for a more phased tariff stance.
Trump's comments on Monday are sharply against anticipations that he might tone down his trade policies during a second term, and if imposed, would do a lot of harm to Mexico's automobile industries and to parts of the country which supply various products including electronics to the U.S.
In emerging Asia, the Thai baht THB=TH slipped as much as 0.4% and the Indonesian rupiah fell 0.4%, prompting the latter's central bank to reassure market participants that it would work to stabilise the currency.
Expectations of a more gradual easing in interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve and Trump's tariff plans have led to rising market volatility, a top official at Bank Indonesia said.
Equity markets in Asian developing countries were mostly mixed, with chip-heavy shares emerging as major losers, while Wall Street futures pointed towards a lower start later in the day.
Shares in South Korea .KS11 and Taiwan .TWII dragged 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively.
The Philippine stock market .PSI was trading flat, while shares in Malaysia .KLSE and Thailand .SETI rose 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively.
HIGHLIGHTS
** Thai Oct exports rise 14.6% y/y
** Indonesia c.bank says to shore up confidence amid rupiah depreciation
** Singapore Oct core inflation at 2.1% y/y, lowest in almost 3 years
Asian currencies and stocks as of 0341 GMT | ||||||
COUNTRY | FX RIC | FX DAILY % | FX YTD % | INDEX | STOCKS DAILY % | STOCKS YTD % |
Japan | JPY= | +0.27 | -8.28 | .N225 | -1.34 | 14.94 |
China | CNY=CFXS | -0.13 | -2.15 | .SSEC | 0.55 | 10.31 |
India | INR=IN | +0.06 | -1.23 | .NSEI | 0.00 | 11.46 |
Indonesia | IDR= | -0.35 | -3.30 | .JKSE | -0.20 | 0.36 |
Malaysia | MYR= | -0.36 | +2.82 | .KLSE | 0.62 | 10.49 |
Philippines | PHP= | -0.07 | -6.11 | .PSI | 0.03 | 6.23 |
S.Korea | KRW=KFTC | -0.04 | -7.97 | .KS11 | -0.69 | -5.22 |
Singapore | SGD= | -0.16 | -2.13 | .STI | -0.20 | 14.92 |
Taiwan | TWD=TP | +0.06 | -5.33 | .TWII | -0.76 | 27.01 |
Thailand | THB=TH | -0.20 | -1.54 | .SETI | 0.27 | 2.21 |
Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
Asian stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Reporting by Shivangi Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
