Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell on May 12, 2025, in New York City.
Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images
U.S. stocks roared back on Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily slash tariffs following negotiations over the weekend in Switzerland, raising hopes a trade war won’t push the economy into a recession.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1,104 points, or 2.6%, staying near its highs for most of the session with buying enthusiasm remaining strong. The S&P 500 popped 3%, bringing its gain since its April intraday low at the height of tariff pessimism to more than 20%. The benchmark has cut its year-to-date losses to just 0.9%.
The Nasdaq Composite added 4%, as the initial China agreement sent technology stocks tied to the country — like Tesla and Apple — flying higher.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that talks with China had been “very productive” and both countries had agreed to cut tariffs temporarily. U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were brought down to 30%, and Chinese tariffs on U.S. imports were slashed to 10%. Bessent told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday that he expects to meet once again with representatives from Beijing in the “next few weeks” to start ironing out a bigger agreement.
Tesla jumped 7%, while Apple and Nvidia gained 6% and 5%. Shares of companies that rely the most on Chinese goods rallied the most. Best Buy popped 6%, Dell Technologies climbed 8% Amazon leaped 8%.
“Markets are rallying because investors are surprised with the velocity of the Chinese trade tariff deal progress,” said Jeff Kilburg of KKM Financial.
Tensions between China and the U.S. reached a fever pitch in April after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on China to 145%. Beijing then retaliated with 125% duties of its own targeting U.S. goods. The S&P 500 nearly closed in bear market territory last month — down almost 20% from a record set in February — following the “liberation day” announcement. Stocks then recovered as Trump dialed back the extra “reciprocal” rates on most countries outside of China in a 90-day pause.
S&P 500, YTD
Investors have bet during the market comeback that the administration would be able to make trade deals over the next three months, including with China, and that has started to play out. The U.S. and the U.K. announced a trade deal framework last week and now this week comes this preliminary China agreement, which turned out even better than traders expected.
Trump himself suggested China tariffs could be lowered to 80% if negotiations went well and a 60% number was reportedly being mulled over, much higher than 30% figure that resulted from the high stakes weekend talks. He noted on Monday that a finalized deal with Beijing would not come to fruition quickly.
“No one had these low China tariff rates on their bingo cards. This is a big positive surprise,” said Jeff Buchbinder, chief equity strategist at LPL Financial. But “this is de-escalation, not a trade deal. More work remains to be done. A pause isn’t permanent. China just got the same deal as all other countries.”
Treasury yields soared as the China agreement was seen as taking a recession off the table for now. Plus, it made it less likely the Federal Reserve would cut rates anytime soon. Oil also jumped as recession fears cooled.
Defensive stocks where investors hid out during the tariff turmoil were lower on Monday. Coca-Cola and Philip Morris shed 2% apiece. AT&T lost 3%.
