Markets were rocked Monday following a whirlwind sequence of events tied to a false report suggesting President Trump might delay his sweeping tariff policy.
The Nasdaq index went on a wild ride, swinging from a 5% loss to a 5% gain, only to settle back near flat within an hour and a half. The dramatic volatility was triggered by a report that the White House was considering a 90-day postponement of tariffs on all nations except China—a claim quickly denied by officials.
“Fake news,” said White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt, dismissing the delay rumor outright.
The confusion spread quickly across asset classes. Bitcoin (BTC) jumped from around $74,400 to just over $80,000 in minutes before pulling back to $79,000, still down 4.3% on the day. Ethereum (ETH) and XRP weren’t spared either, sliding 11% and 9.3% respectively over the past 24 hours.
Despite the chaos, there were signs of diplomatic engagement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered an olive branch, saying the EU is “ready to negotiate” and would consider a zero-for-zero tariff arrangement on industrial goods.
President Trump appeared upbeat in public comments, stating, “Countries from all over the world are talking to us,” and adding that Japan is dispatching a “top team” to enter negotiations.
The day’s developments underscore just how sensitive global markets remain to trade headlines—and how quickly sentiment can swing in response.
