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Another post that makes absolutely no sense. Thanks for chiming in.

This is apolitical: one thing that always confounded me about Tesla was their stock. Even when I was super into the brand, I never bought their stock. I always thought the valuation on it never made sense, and man, has that stock been on some weird rides.


I feel like it’s so headline/Elon dependent and I can’t really rely on consistent steadiness from either, so I always avoided it. I was always more of a Buffett/value guy myself.

Yeah, I don't touch it. Gave it some consideration during this dip because I knew today was coming one way or another. I bought a ton of NVDA instead. I've got a small "gambling" account, well, it started small, but I've actually made some good bets over the years (there have been some no-brainers). Other than that, I'm right with you on the Buffett mentality.

Keep in mind -- all of Tesla's competition hands them billions for their carbon credits. In essence, the company starts each year 1.5B in the black before a sale is made.

Trump says he decided on 90-day tariff pause because people were 'yippy' and 'afraid'

Ben WerschkulWashington Correspondent
Updated Wed, April 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM EDT4 min read

Donald Trump stunned markets Wednesday with another quick pivot on trade, announcing he would authorize a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariff plans for all countries except China and telling reporters he did so because people were getting "yippy" and "afraid."

"They were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid," he said Wednesday, referring to the market unrest that unfolded following his "Liberation Day" tariff announcement a week ago.

The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) roared up over 9.5% in the biggest increase since 2008.

It was a move that Trump says came together early Wednesday morning after he had been considering it in recent days.

"We decided to pull the trigger and we did it today and we are happy about it," he said. "If you keep going, you are going to be back to where it was four weeks ago," he added.

The sharp move upward in markets came after Trump paused many tariffs but kept 10% baseline duties in place that came into effect last weekend for all countries.

That baseline does not apply to Mexico or Canada, which still face a separate set of duties related to fentanyl. Separate industry-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos also remain unchanged.

The president's pause of "reciprocal" tariffs has one notable exception: China. Trump announced he would be unilaterally raising the rate on China further to 125% because of "the lack of respect that China has shown."

Trump additionally floated an idea Wednesday afternoon that he might consider exempting some US companies from the tariffs, saying those decisions would be made "instinctively."

It was another chaotic move in Trump's ever-shifting tariff plans and came less than an hour after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that the president's decision had nothing to do with the turmoil in both the stock and bond markets of the past week, saying that "this was his strategy all along."

Trump was pressed on the apparent contradiction and how many aides had previously said this was not a negotiation by saying "sometimes it's not a negotiation until it is."

More than 75 countries have contacted the US to start talks on the reciprocal tariffs, Trump and his aides say, with Trump's team promising that the 90-day pause that will allow the US to create a "bespoke" solution for all of them.

But Trump seemed to acknowledge the market reaction was part of his calculus for announcing the pause, saying he noticed last night in the bond market that "people were getting a little queasy" and "you have to be flexible."


"China is the most imbalanced economy in the history of the world," Bessent added to reporters Wednesday afternoon, calling it the "biggest source" of US trade troubles.

Wednesday's move will also lower duties on the European Union from a rate of 20% to the 10% baseline that went into effect on April 5. That lessening comes even as the group approved their own retaliatory tariffs earlier Wednesday but Trump says they will get a reprieve because those duties hadn't gone into effect yet.

"These Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately," Trump said in his initial post announcing the move.

Terry Haines of Pangaea Policy added in the immediate aftermath of the news that another fact that could be boosting markets is that "Bessent is the main adviser, while [Commerce Secretary Howard] Lutnick is in charge of the negotiating details, something that’s likely soothing to the Street."

It was a partial reversal of what economic observers warned could move pocketbooks, with a new Yale Budget Lab study released Tuesday estimating that the tariffs could push prices up by 2.3% and translate to an average of $3,800 more in costs this year for families.

Around the world, 185 countries have been impacted by 10% duties implemented last weekend, and those duties appear set to continue.

Trump and his aides have repeatedly touted the sheer number of countries that have called to negotiate, with Bessent saying they are "overwhelmed."

Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam are apparently first in line with talks commencing this week. Other talks could drag out for weeks or months with the timeline unclear, especially if they will be finished before the 90-day pause ends in July.

As for the path ahead for still jittery markets, Bessent added Wednesday that "the only certainty we can provide is that the US is going to negotiate in good faith."


https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/...ple-were-yippy-and-afraid-181126787.html

It's still (somewhat) a house of cards. If I understand it correctly, the amount of carbon credits they're able to sell is tied to their own sales. So, hypothetically speaking, if sales were to dramatically slow due to... let's just say... a sudden change in how people see the brand... the amount of credits they're able to sell will shrink. That financial backstop can erode pretty quickly. I'm wondering if that has anything to do with some recent suspicious sales numbers (I don't know if you can link the two since this happened in Canada). Long story short, 3 tesla dealerships allegedly sold ~8600 cars over three days, which even with Tesla's online ordering is unlikely.
https://fortune.com/2025/03/26/elon-musk-tesla-under-investigation-canada-wrongfully-boosting-sales/


The whole Tesla saga is as fascinating as it is annoying.

I'll say one thing....

If this whole tariff nonsense gets people/companies to take the stock market less seriously (companies quit making important decisions based on stock price, less speculation, etc) then this whole ordeal will be a win, in my book.

Similarly, if we can somehow leverage this into China cracking down on itself in terms of intellectual property and other such trade-adjacent issues we have with them, it's possible this could come out as a win. I think this may be less likely, though. Their economy is far better set up to ride out instability.

I'd have been with you on tossing in stuff during the dip for the long term...buuuuuuuut wife wanted to build a pool. Almost done with that project at least.

I overtly welcome any sustained challenges we can make toward the Chinese economy. If we targeted tariffs and/or whatever economic measures toward them that we could, I would have been more than glad to have instituted those. I think my biggest qualm with the rollout was how haphazard it all was, on just about every level.

dead cat bounce or nah?

This is the problem - either the failed businessman who never reads anything, can't concentrate on one thing for very long, whose former inner circle mostly said he was unfit for office is a certified mast genius whose playing 4d or maybe 5d chess when the rest of the world's leaders and economists are playing checkers ...... or ..... just maybe ..... everytime Trump does something crazy and kneee jerk and short termist and populist and then it all goes sideways and then after the facts, Trump supporters (and Trump himself) fits anything that's a recovery or adjustment as a WIN and was his secret agenda.

I mean he's claimed this week that countries are lined up to do deals. He's claimed an additional $2B a day is already coming in to the US coffers because of his tariffs. Now the win will be that the DOW has bounced and recovered 'most' of what it lost becuase of his actions..... And this is just one of the many things. Unlike the suggestion that when we talk about once big chaos storm we take our eye of the others .... they all matter. Ukraine, DOGE, Signal group chats, pandering to Putin while distancing the US from our traditional allies, voting with North Korea and Russia against our allies at the UN ....

Probably. Maybe. Possibly. Who knows.

As someone smarter than me was saying today - with the latest "90 day pause"... does anyone believe it will be 90 days? You literally cannot believe anything he says because give him 48 hours or a week and everything changes. Hopefully the DOW crashing as badly as it did will reduce the likelyhood of such nuclear tariffs being implemented again in the future.

When billionaires loose millions trump is now feeling their pressure. He’s such a puppet. Pffft. Yippy lol.

Not at all. It's an obvious correction. Gains and losses will look pretty crazy while this chaos goes on, at least compressed into much shorter time frames. That's my totally unprofessional opinion.

Hmmm... Never thought about that. I'm smart enough to know though, (which isn't saying much, in this case) that Musk will be investigated for everything he does right now. Could it be fleet sales that are credited to certain dealerships? Short on time and just spitballing though.

You said it.. And it’s self inflicted, or shall we say financial suicide averted, for now. We all know what Trump does best right?

Bankruptcy! What 6 or 7 times now? I lost count, remind me how many times.

Agree 100%. If you're moving money in and out of markets right now -- any pain is self-inflicted. I'm glad you can finally wake up and smell the roses.

I don't smell any roses but I sure can smell your BS.

The devil himself has worshipers also. Thats their self inflicted pain.

I don't know how a horror movie tagline has anything to do with the convo but to each his own. Rent-free zombies seem to be all the rage.

Yes there's at least a few of you.

#freepost

WH just clarified China tariffs are now 145%
Dow down almost 2100, Nasdaq over 1100.

they must be setting up another pump and dump

I don't try to predict the market. With Mr. Flavor of the Day in charge you never know what's coming next. But at least for the moment it looks like as if today the market is correcting the correction of yesterday.

the G-damn beta males got yippy!!!

so word on the streets is that the bond market activity is what spooked Trump. foreign countries unloading US Bonds.

You mess with us, we are going to mess with you.

I dont remember the name of the book or author, but a Trump supporting neighbour recommended i read it and it was full or real or perceived potential threats to the security of the US. One of the dominant topics was the Saudis/OPEC - Russia - China and others wanting to remove the US$ as the global currency.... It would seem to me that the devaluation of the bonds and the undermining of the stability of the US dollar would make this more likely to happen than less likely to happen. Well done Trump! That took some balls

I think he specifically mentioned the bond market freaking people out as part of the rationale for pulling back.

So it’s being reported that Canada’s new PM was behind Trump’s reversal. Apparently, he organized a multi country sell off of US Treasury Bonds to force Trump’s hands. Kudos for him.

Trump's gonna FAFO in a major way, and hopefully it won't do lasting damage to the US.

A 600 point gain today. Better than the alternative.

Trump made some deal almost done comment this morning that caused that bump. The dow goes up and down like a yoyo, hanging on every word he says. I’ve never seen anything like it.

It will. Count on it.

"I'll take Ish I Never Saw Coming for $1000, Alex."

Against OCD's wishes, some of my previously sidelined Roth retirement money just made it into a S&P 500 Index Fund this morning. Nice to start with a near 2% win.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20xn626y81o.amp


Trump exempts smartphones and computers from new tariffs

That will teach apple and all those other tech giants who keep making their products cheaply in China.....

Apple CEO Tim Cook donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. He also attended Trump's inauguration. He sat there in billionaire row.

Honestly much less worried about that than other things. Was he also at biden's inauguration?? Did he donate large sums to Democrats when it was convenient??

The problem I see with giving a pass to the tech companies and Chinese phone components and PC components.... Wasn't this the type of manufacturing that some thought the tariffs would address... Didnt Swish allude to cheap products made in China being the Walmart affect or something, and that if the tariffs could possibly address some of that, they might be beneficial? But the reality is, it seems Trump is just swaying in the wind. Instead of having a well thought out laid out plan, it's reactionary. He makes daily claims about how the tariffs are working, bringing in billion dollars a day and then put some on hold.

As always, I'll wait for the result and then the Trump supporters will fit the results to the plan and say that it's a resounding success and the outcome was always the goal.

Reading your first post, it's hard to determine whether you want tariffs or not. Are you swaying?

Trump and Xi are like two kids playing ping pong and tariffs are the ball right now. Neither has any intention of enforcing tariffs over 100% for any real stretch of time. During the negotiation period, nobody wants to play $3000 for a cell phone. Not that hard, bro. If you want to call it swaying, that's fine, but don't act like the end goal isn't exactly as Swish stated it. And don't act like Trump is abandoning that by making common sense exceptions.