Summary

Media caption,

Trump says he would consider meeting with China’s Xi Jinping on tariffs

  1. UK-US discussions focused on barriers to trade, Reeves sayspublished at 12:02 British Summer Time 8 April

    Shadow chancellor Mel Stride, speaking in the Commons, asks Reeves what areas beyond tariffs are being discussed as part of negotiations with the US.

    Reeves says while the government is discussing a range of different topics with the US, she clarifies that the focus is on reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, with a particular focus on sectors that are subject to higher tariffs, such as cars.

    “Although 10% tariffs are lower than many countries around the world, and we welcome that, the additional tariffs on cars, steel, and potentially on life sciences pose a real challenge to our country because those are some of our biggest export markets,” she says.

  2. Reeves to meet US treasury secretary 'shortly'published at 11:49 British Summer Time 8 April

    UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who is now speaking in Parliament, has told MPs that she will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent "shortly".

    "The United States' decision to impose tariffs has had and will continue to have huge implications for the world economy," she says.

    "This morning I spoke to the governor of the Bank of England, who has confirmed that markets are functioning effectively and that our banking system is resilient."

    You can follow the latest from the House of Commons in our stream at the top of the page - just click watch live.

  3. Moments to watch out for today, including US markets opening and Senate trade hearingpublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 8 April

    President Trump with one arm raisedImage source, Getty Images

    Donald Trump's higher tariffs on about 60 countries he has deemed the "worst offenders" are due to take effect tomorrow.

    Before then, there are plenty of planned events - and no doubt off the cuff remarks - to come today on the tariffs plan and their impact on the global economy:

    14:30 BST: US stock market opens.

    15:00: US trade representative Jamieson Greer testifies before the Senate for a committee hearing on Trump's trade policy.

    16:30: European stock markets close

    18:00: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a televised briefing from the White House.

    20:00: Trump signs executive order titled "Unleashing American Energy".

    21:00: US markets close.

    23:45: US president to make speech at a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner.

  4. Pound edges up against the dollarpublished at 11:28 British Summer Time 8 April

    Pound coins lying on top of US dollar billsImage source, Getty Images

    The pound has seen a slight rise against the dollar on Tuesday, up 0.2% to $1.2744, reversing some of the falls of the previous two days.

    While the main attention has been on share price movements, the currency markets have also seen big swings over the past few days.

    The pound jumped to around $1.32 on Thursday last week in the immediate aftermath of the "Liberation Day" tariff announcements. However, it steadily lost ground against the US currency in the following two trading days.

    However, the dollar has been under pressure, and the dollar index, which measures it against six rival currencies, is down by about 0.7% since the tariffs announcement.

    Usually the dollar is seen as a safer asset to hold in times of uncertainty, but now markets are worried about what the impact of the tariffs will be on the US economy.

  5. Did US-China tariffs row prevent a TikTok deal?published at 11:04 British Summer Time 8 April

    Graham Fraser
    Technology reporter

    A deal over the future of TikTok may have been one of the first casualties of this new, more intense phase of the US-China trade war.

    The US has passed a law which says the hugely popular video sharing app has to either sell its US operation or be banned. The deadline was last Saturday.

    It seems a deal was nearly finalised on Wednesday last week but fell apart after Trump, on the same day, announced sweeping global tariffs - including on China.

    Representatives of ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owners, contacted the White House to inform them China would no longer approve the deal unless negotiations on the tariffs could take place, a source familiar with the deal told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

    The deal was off - and President Trump extended the deadline for a deal by 75 days.

    What could happen next? Well, if a week is a long time in politics, then 10 weeks is an absolute age.

    With Washington and Beijing exchanging more threats and defiant rhetoric, it may be that no agreement over TikTok's future will prove to be the one of the first real world consequences of these new tariffs.

  6. 'Markets could stay fragile for days and weeks to come,' says investment directorpublished at 10:51 British Summer Time 8 April

    Nick Edser
    Business reporter

    German stock market signImage source, Getty Images

    Time for a quick recap of how stocks in Europe are doing, and so far the markets have hung on to their early gains.

    • The UK's FTSE 100 index is up 1.9%
    • Germany's Dax index has risen 1.5%
    • And France's Cac 40 is 1.3% higher

    Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says the gains, coupled with rises in Asia and a better end to the day in the US on Monday, suggest "investors are slowly regaining confidence".

    This might be in the belief that "an actual breakthrough on tariffs - either a temporary pause or positive negotiations - could unleash the mother of all rebound rallies".

    However, it’s "dangerous to think a massive rally will definitely happen," he adds.

    “Markets could stay fragile for days and weeks to come. It would only take a new sign of aggression from Trump or a trading partner fighting back hard to cause upset again," he says.

  7. US steel firm 'very grateful' for tariff on foreign importspublished at 10:35 British Summer Time 8 April

    The chief executive of a steel company in the US tells the BBC World Service she is "very grateful" for Trump's 25% tariffs on imported steel.

    Hollie Noveletsky, CEO of Novel Iron Works, tells Newsday a "significant influx" of foreign steel "dumped below prices" has "distorted" the market.

    She says companies like hers in the US pay $30 plus an hour for a welder, but she says in Mexico they are paying $1.75.

    "You can't compete with that," she says, adding many companies in her industry have gone out of business.

    The first Trump administration also brought in tariffs on steel, but she says they "found very quickly that foreign countries knew how to circumvent" those.

  8. China and Hong Kong stocks slightly recover at close on Tuesdaypublished at 10:21 British Summer Time 8 April

    China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index climbed 1.7% and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.6% at the close, after both slid more than 7% on Monday.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    On Monday, Hong Kong's major stock market was shocked by a steep drop of 13.2%

    China and Hong Kong stocks recovered a bit of ground on Tuesday, with China’s blue-chip CSI 300 climbing 1.7% and the Shanghai Composite Index regaining 1.6% at close.

    Both fell by more than 7% on Monday.

    Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed on Tuesday, up 1.5% following Monday's sharp drop of 13.2%, it’s steepest drop since the financial crisis of 1997.

    Stocks in Indonesia were down nearly 8% at close.

    The fall came amidst US president Donald Trump's implementation of significant global tariffs, with threats of further reciprocal tariffs set to be imposed on Wednesday.

  9. Negotiated resolution needed to avoid further escalation - EU chiefpublished at 10:06 British Summer Time 8 April

    EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a debate in Strasbourg on 1 AprilImage source, Getty Images

    We're just getting details of a phone call held between EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang today.

    According to a read-out published by von der Leyen's office, the European Commission president "stressed the responsibility of Europe and China... to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field".

    She also called for a "negotiated resolution" and emphasised the "need to avoid further escalation", the statement says.

    As a reminder, China has promised countermeasures against Trump's tariffs, with the US president in turn threatening additional 50% tariffs on top of the taxes already announced if Beijing does not walk back.

    Yesterday, von der Leyen said the EU had offered "zero-for-zero" tariffs for industrial goods it exports to the US, adding that the EU was "always ready for a good deal".

  10. How is Asia reacting to Trump's tariffs?published at 09:45 British Summer Time 8 April

    Prabowo Subianto standing in the middle of a group of people and behind several microphones wavesImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Indonesia plans to buy some products from the US as part of its negotiation efforts

    We've reported a lot on how China is reacting to Trump's trade taxes with countermeasures of its own.

    But how are other nations across Asia taking it all?

    Indonesia, with tariffs at 32%, says it plans to buy petrol, natural gas and soybeans from the US as part of negotiation efforts. The government says it may look to other nations - Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and China - to replace any US exports.

    Sri Lanka, with some of the highest rates of tariffs at 44%, says its president has written to Trump and they are due to have a meeting later on Tuesday.

    South Korea, which faces 26% tariffs, says it will monitor how other countries respond to their new levies before preparing its negotiation strategy, as the government prepares support measures.

    Singapore's prime minister says 10% tariffs on the city-state from the US are "not actions one does to a friend". Lawrence Wong told parliament under a free trade deal with the US, Singapore imposes zero tariffs on American goods and also runs a trade deficit with Washington.

    Taiwan, on Trump's "worst offender" list with a tariff rate of 32%, says it is open to negotiations with the US at any time.

  11. European markets rise and Trump tells China it must reverse 34% tariff: A quick recappublished at 09:27 British Summer Time 8 April

    A man holding a phone looks at a digital screen showing the NIkkei 225 indexImage source, Gett

    Stock markets in Europe opened this morning slightly higher after the falls experienced in recent days. If you are just joining us, here is a quick recap:

    • The FTSE 100 has opened up 1%, with Cac 40 in France rising 1.8% and the Dax in Germany up 1.3%
    • In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index traded up 6%, with markets in South Korea and Australia also edging up
    • US President Donald Trump has told China it must reverse a planned 34% tariff on US goods today or face a further 50% tariff - taking Beijing's total tariff rate on certain goods to 104%
    • Beijing accused the Trump administration of blackmail in a statement, saying China will "fight to the end"
    • The UK's Health Secretary Wes Streeting says the US tariff decisions are "harmful to British interests" and claims the government - which has not yet announced retaliatory measures - is showing "level-headed leadership"
    • US Republican Congressman Pete Sessions tells the BBC people in his state of Texas don't like additional taxes like tariffs, but says "many people believe it is a negotiating tactic" and that he hopes Trump will make deals
    • Our North America editor, Anthony Zurcher, writes that Trump appears to be locked in a high-stakes game of chicken with other countries
    • It comes as higher custom tariffs on roughly 60 countries, dubbed the "worst offenders", are due to come into effect tomorrow
  12. Government needs to 'create a level playing field', says discount firm founderpublished at 09:07 British Summer Time 8 April

    The US tariffs on China could cause a problem in the long run to UK firms who currently import goods from aboard, according to the boss of Buy It Direct Group, an online discounter which sources a significant share of its products from China.

    Chief executive Nick Glynne tells the BBC’s Today programme that if Chinese firms stop or reduce exports to the US, "the big long-term threat is to accelerate what’s already been happening in the UK, which is Chinese manufacturers selling over the head of importers... and selling directly to UK consumers".

    "At the moment there are three million commercial parcels a week that go directly to UK consumers from China," he says.

    However, Glynne says Chinese firms have much cheaper shipping rates, and by posting direct can bypass duty, packaging tax and other compliance costs.

    He argues the UK's tax body HMRC "needs to create a level playing field between UK importers and Chinese exporters".

  13. Tariffs are here to stay, but not as they are, says former Trump adviserpublished at 08:59 British Summer Time 8 April

    Sam Nunberg, who worked as an adviser to President Trump during his 2016 presidential election campaign, has told the BBC he believes tariffs are here to stay but will not consist of the "humongous" rates currently being imposed.

    "I believe that the president has put out these humongous tariff rates as a starting negotiating point," he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

    "This is a starting point, this is not where this is going to end, but the president is not going to completely reverse course.

    "There’s going to be a new tariff regime within the US and on the international trade market – the issue is what that looks like."

    Nunberg adds that the policy will play out well among Trump’s core supporters, who feel that the American manufacturing heartland has been "hollowed out" by global trade but anticipates problems arising if and when reciprocal tariffs come in and there is a recession in the US.

  14. A more balanced picture on the FTSE 100 this morningpublished at 08:42 British Summer Time 8 April

    Nick Edser
    Business reporter

    Man walking past a branch of Lloyds BankImage source, Getty Images

    Banks and energy firms are among the shares doing well on the UK market this morning.

    Oil giants BP, up 3%, and Shell, up 2%, are some of the biggest gainers in the FTSE 100, helped by a small rebound in the price of oil.

    Among the major UK banks, Lloyds and Barclays are both up by about 2%.

    The biggest riser in the FTSE 100 though is IAG Group - the airline group that includes British Airways and Iberia. Its shares are up 3.5%.

    At the same point yesterday, every single company in the FTSE 100 index had fallen. So far on Tuesday, it's a much more balanced picture.

  15. Trump's tariffs are harmful to British interests - Streetingpublished at 08:38 British Summer Time 8 April

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting has defended the government's response to President Trump's tariffs on UK goods.

    Streeting tells the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that measures announced yesterday, including on the relaxation of electric vehicle sales targets, have been brought forward by the government as a direct result of the tariffs.

    He says the government has "made no bones about the fact we disagree with the decisions taken by the Trump administration" as they are "harmful to British interests".

    "What the prime minister has been doing - contrary to those who preferred he would take to Twitter [now X] and pick up placards - is showing the cool, calm, level-headed leadership required both to get the best possible trading relationship with the US as well as with our other trading partners," he says.

    As a reminder, goods going to the US from the UK now have a baseline 10% tax applied to them, with higher rates on cars, aluminium, and steel.

  16. Some relief for European stocks after days of lossespublished at 08:23 British Summer Time 8 April

    Nick Edser
    Business reporter

    Well the dust has settled after the first few minutes of trade and the major European markets are still trading higher.

    The FTSE 100 is up 1.1%, Germany's Dax is 0.6% higher and the Cac 40 has risen 1.3%.

    However, while analysts have welcomed the rises, they warn that sentiment remains fragile.

    "This should hardly be seen as the end of the trouble, especially with President Trump showing no signs of easing his stance on perceived trade imbalances, having doubled down on China," says Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

    However, signs of possible trade talks between the US and Japan offer "a glimmer of hope", he says.

    "The sooner deals are reached; the quicker companies and investors can gain some clarity on the lay of the land."

  17. US needs to talk to China, says Beijing-based think tankpublished at 08:15 British Summer Time 8 April

    Henry Wang, founder of the think tank Center for China and Globalization, has been speaking to the BBC’s Today programme on Radio 4 this morning.

    He says the US should invite China to the negotiating table so it can explain why it has launched what he called an "unjustified" and "immoral" trade war.

    "They should invite China, because they launched this trade war and they should give China an explanation for that," he says.

    Wang says Trump's policy overlooks many of the US's strengths, including on service trade and harvesting global talents, before adding that the US is not in a position to complain about losing manufacturing jobs to other nations because it "abandoned" the industry.

  18. European stock markets open higherpublished at 08:03 British Summer Time 8 April
    Breaking

    Trading has just restarted in Europe and all the main stock markets are showing a slight rebound from the previous falls.

    In the UK, the FTSE 100 has opened up 1%.

    In France, the Cac 40 rose 1.8%.

    Germany's Dax is up 1.3%.

  19. What happened to European stock markets yesterday?published at 07:53 British Summer Time 8 April

    An office worker walks through the London Stock Exchange Group Plc's atrium in the City of London, UKImage source, Getty Images

    Yesterday, Europe's biggest stock markets all opened - and closed - significantly down with some falling up to 10% on the day.

    Ahead of the UK's stock market opening at 08:00 BST, here is a recap of what happened across Europe on Monday:

    The FTSE 100 is the UK's biggest stock market index, and is made up of the largest firms listed in the UK. On Monday it opened at 2.4% down but then slumped to -4.4% at close.

    Germany's Dax opened trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with a stark drop of nearly 10%. However, the index managed to regain some ground, eventually closing at 4.1% down.

    The French Cac40, a stock market index made up of the 40 most prominent listed companies in France,opened at around 7% down. It did manage to recover some of those losses, closing at 4.8% down.

    The UK stock market will be opening in a few minutes, stay with us.

  20. Tariff play is a negotiating tactic, says Republican representativepublished at 07:46 British Summer Time 8 April

    Pete Sessions in 2024Image source, Getty Images

    We've just been hearing from Republican House representative for Texas Pete Sessions, who tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme Trump's policy on tariffs has "ignited many capitalists" who are against it.

    He says many ordinary Texans are also "concerned" but he believes it is a negotiating tactic from the Trump administration.

    "All Texans believe that a tariff is a tax and it's not in America's best interest, nor people in the free world, to pay that extra money," he says.

    "I think many people believe it is a negotiating tactic, certainly the administration has signalled he [Trump] is willing to negotiate with other countries and it is my hope that he continues to do that and we find an end to this that will be mutually good not just for Texas but for everyone."

    He says Trump must look at the reaction in the markets and listen to the concerns being raised, saying he is hopeful this will play out within three to four weeks.

    But he adds: "Once a play like this is made, getting the toothpaste back in the tube is hard."