How Trump’s Tariff Policies Affected the US Dollar and World Markets – By Pothireddy Surendranath Reddy 

Analysis by Dr. Pothireddy Surendranath Reddy
Executive summary

President Trump’s broad tariff measures in 2025 created immediate dislocations in trade, prices and investor sentiment. Beyond the direct cost of duties, tariffs alter the macroeconomic environment via exchange-rate movements, capital flows, inflation, and the structure of global value chains (GVCs). The net impact on the U.S. dollar and the world economy depends on three interacting channels:

1. Trade and price channel — tariffs raise import prices and encourage partial pass-through to consumer inflation.

2. Exchange-rate channel — tariffs change the balance of trade and capital flows; empirical work shows the dollar can appreciate modestly following U.S. tariff shocks, but outcomes vary with monetary policy and safe-haven flows.

3. Financial-confidence channel — tariffs increase uncertainty, which affects capital flows, risk premia and the global demand for U.S. assets (Treasuries, equities), with feedbacks to the dollar and global growth.

Key findings from recent institutional analyses and market reporting: (a) tariffs depress trade, investment and output over time; (b) they tend to raise consumer prices quickly; (c) exchange-rate responses are real but limited — studies of the 2018–19 tariff episode found roughly a 1% dollar appreciation in response to tariff news, with offsetting moves in other currencies; (d) heightened uncertainty raises risk premia and can stress emerging-market financing; and (e) the IMF warned that the 2025 tariff package is a material drag on global growth and elevates inflation risks. Reuters+3IMF+3Federal Reserve+3

Meta-Analysis
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1. How tariffs affect a currency in theory (short primer)

Tariffs alter the trade balance and the real return to holding domestic assets — both of which influence exchange rates.

• If tariffs reduce imports more than exports, they can shift the trade balance toward surplus, which other things equal tends to strengthen the domestic currency.

• But tariffs also raise domestic prices (imported inflation), which can erode real exchange-rate gains. Central banks facing higher inflation may tighten policy, attracting foreign capital and strengthening the currency — or they may prioritize growth and keep policy loose, which would weaken the currency.

• Finally, tariffs raise policy and geopolitical uncertainty. In times of global stress, investors often flock to perceived safe havens (historically U.S. Treasuries and the dollar). If tariffs undermine confidence in U.S. growth or fiscal strength, that safe-haven pull can weaken or reverse. The net exchange-rate outcome is therefore an empirical matter. (See IMF, Fed and academic work summarised below.) IMF+1

2. What the evidence from prior U.S. tariff episodes shows

The 2018–19 tariff episode (the earlier “Trump tariffs”) offers the best recent analog:

• Trade diversion and decline — US imports from targeted countries fell sharply while imports from other partners rose; overall trade volumes fell and global value chains re-routed. The St. Louis Fed notes imports from China fell ~40% in the most affected lines, with offsetting flows to Mexico, EU, and others. stlouisfed.org

• Price pass-through — Federal Reserve analysis finds tariff shocks were passed through substantially and quickly to consumer prices in the affected categories. Recent Fed work that re-examined tariff episodes shows rapid price impacts within months. This means tariffs act like an import cost shock that feeds into headline and core inflation. Federal Reserve+1

• Exchange-rate reaction — Empirical research finds modest dollar appreciation in response to U.S. tariff news (on the order of ~1% in some estimates), while exporting countries’ currencies (e.g., renminbi) depreciated to offset price competitiveness effects. The net real-economy offset is incomplete — tariffs are not perfectly neutralised by currency moves. ScienceDirect+1

Taken together, these studies support three regularities: tariffs reduce trade and investment, raise inflation in the short run, and produce modest but non-trivial FX responses that do not fully undo tariff effects.

3. The 2025 tariff shock — what was different and why the dollar mattered

The 2025 measures differed from earlier episodes in scale, scope and market context:

• Scale & breadth: The 2025 package covered many more product lines and included retaliatory measures and selective carve-outs, creating greater uncertainty for global supply chains. IMF commentary noted the measures’ larger macro impact relative to previous rounds. Reuters+1

• Monetary/fiscal backdrop: Coming after a period of still-elevated inflation and tighter global financial conditions, the new tariffs increased the chance that central banks would need to weigh inflation risks against growth-support—sharpening policy trade-offs that affect exchange-rate dynamics. The Washington Post

• Market reaction: Short-run market dynamics in 2025 showed bouts of volatility: equities and bond yields fell at times as risk premia rose; that put upward pressure on the dollar in classic safe-haven episodes but also coincided with downward pressure when expectations formed that tariffs would blunt U.S. growth and fiscal metrics — a mixed picture documented in market reporting. Reuters and other outlets flagged the unusual pattern where the dollar and U.S. assets both weakened at points, reflecting deep uncertainty. Reuters+1

The net effect: the dollar exhibited volatile behaviour — modest appreciation in some windows (trade-balance re-rating and safe-haven flows), but weakness in others (growth signals and risk re-pricing). Empirical studies suggest a small average appreciation is plausible, but the path is choppy and scenario-dependent. ScienceDirect+1

4. Transmission to the global economy

Tariffs’ knock-on effects go far beyond exchange rates:

a) Global growth & trade

Tariffs reduce access to demand in a large market like the U.S., producing negative effects on partner countries’ exports, investment and output. The IMF’s modelling and public statements in 2025 concluded that the tariff package would shave global growth and raise downside risks; their staff work shows persistent depressions of trade and investment from tariff shocks. Countries tied tightly to U.S. demand (and to affected GVCs) bear the largest burden. IMF+1

b) Inflation pass-through and policy responses

Tariffs raise import prices; central banks face the dilemma of responding to inflation versus growth shocks. Where central banks tighten to tame tariff-driven inflation, currency appreciation and higher real rates can partially offset tariff pass-through — but at the cost of weaker domestic demand. Where they do not tighten, inflation erodes real wages and can depress consumption. The Federal Reserve’s analysis of tariff pass-through underscores how quickly prices can move in affected categories. Federal Reserve+1

c) Capital flows and EM vulnerability

Tariff-driven uncertainty raises global risk premia and can trigger capital flight from emerging markets (EMs) that depend on external financing. Reuters and IMF reporting in 2025 warned of EM debt stress if tariffs persist, because slower global growth and increased volatility tighten financing conditions for sovereigns and corporates. That, in turn, can feed back into FX pressure in EMs and prompt policy tightening that slows growth. Reuters+1

d) Structural reconfiguration of GVCs

Firms respond to tariff risk by relocating, diversifying suppliers, and regionalising supply chains. This rearrangement is costly and takes time — but once in place it changes trade patterns, investment geography and long-term productivity pathways. Studies of the 2018 episode show substantial trade diversion and slower investment in affected sectors. The 2025 shock likely accelerates decoupling trends in sensitive industries (semiconductors, pharma inputs, critical minerals). stlouisfed.org+1

5. Scenarios for the dollar and world economy (plausible pathways)

Scenario A — Short, negotiated rollback
If tariffs are scaled back through negotiations/targeted exemptions, volatility subsides. The dollar may retrace small appreciation, inflation pressures ease, and growth resumes — the net global cost is moderate and temporary. This is a benign outcome that history shows is possible when trade talks succeed.

Scenario B — Prolonged tariff regime with episodic escalation
Sustained tariffs keep import prices higher, depress investment, and maintain uncertainty. The dollar may appreciate modestly on trade-balance grounds at times but could also weaken during risk-off episodes if markets expect U.S. growth deterioration. Global growth slows; EM stress rises; GVC reconfiguration accelerates. IMF modelling implies this is the costlier path for world GDP. IMF+1

Scenario C — Broad fragmentation and sustained localisation
A longer run of policy fragmentation and broad protectionism could nudge the global economy toward regional blocs, with higher inefficiency and lower productivity growth. The dollar’s reserve-currency role might erode slowly if trade and financial plumbing shift away from U.S. markets — a politically slow process, but one that research suggests could be accelerated by persistent, large-scale protectionism. Recent commentary warns that long-run risks to the dollar’s status exist, though they require prolonged structural change. Reuters

6. Policy implications — how to reduce the damage

For U.S. policymakers:

• Weigh short-term political gains against medium-term macro costs: tariffs raise domestic inflation and can crowd out investment. Institutional analyses urge measured actions and engagement through WTO/dispute channels where feasible. JSTOR+1

• Use targeted compensation and transition assistance for affected industries while avoiding permanent protection that impairs competitiveness.

For central banks:

• Communicate clearly on whether tariff-driven inflation is being targeted; rule-consistent policy reduces uncertainty and volatile FX moves. Feds and regional Fed papers document rapid pass-through in some categories, making timely communication crucial. Federal Reserve+1

For emerging markets and trading partners:

• Prepare contingency financing and deepen regional payment and swap lines (to buffer capital volatility). Diversify export markets and accelerate value-chain up-gradation in sectors where relocation opportunities exist. IMF and Reuters flagged EM vulnerability and the need for policy buffers in 2025. Reuters+1

7. Conclusion — measured risks, large stakes

Trump-era tariffs do more than raise prices at the border: they alter expectations, rewire trade and investment patterns, and feed into exchange-rate and financial dynamics with global reach. Empirical work from the 2018–19 episode and formal modelling by major institutions (IMF, Federal Reserve) show tariffs depress trade and raise short-run inflation while producing modest FX adjustments that do not fully offset economic damage. The 2025 shock is larger and coincided with fragile global conditions — hence the IMF’s warning that the package is a material drag on the world economy. Policymakers should therefore prioritise quick, rules-based de-escalation and employ targeted, temporary measures to protect vulnerable groups while avoiding long-term fragmentation that would diminish world welfare and could gradually erode the dollar’s privileged role. IMF+2Federal Reserve+2

Selected references & links (key sources)

IMF press coverage & statements on 2025 tariffs and global implications (April 2025). Reuters+1

IMF Working Paper — The Macroeconomic Consequences of Import Tariffs and Trade Policy Uncertainty. (Jan 2024). IMF

Federal Reserve (Feds Note) — Detecting Tariff Effects on Consumer Prices in Real Time (May 9, 2025). Federal Reserve

O. Jeanne et al., To what extent are tariffs offset by exchange rates? (2024 — empirical study on tariff news and currency moves). ScienceDirect

Reuters — Tariffs could weaken, but not yet reverse, dollar’s reserve status — research (25 Sep 2025) and broader Reuters coverage on market reaction to tariffs. Reuters+1

St. Louis Fed — What Have We Learned from the U.S. Tariff Increases 2018 (May 2025 summary of the 2018–19 episode). stlouisfed.org