Explained: How Trump tariffs are fueling economic risk and Wall Street panic

Trump’s tariffs spark Wall Street panic, raising recession and inflation fears.

Wall Street executives entered 2025 hopeful about President Donald Trump’s policies, buoyed by past tax cuts and deregulation. But optimism has faded fast. The new wave of sweeping tariffs — particularly the escalating trade war with China — has injected deep uncertainty into the U.S. economy. Corporate leaders, economists, and financiers alike are warning that this instability is already taking a toll on consumer confidence and business investment, with some analysts predicting a recession by late 2025.

Executives Voice Concern

Top banking figures such as JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink expressed deep concern over the economic outlook. As quoted by The Wall Street Journal, Dimon said, “It’s a significant change we’ve never seen in our lives.” Fink added, “In the short run, we have an economy that is at risk.” Although consumer spending remained strong in early 2025, sentiment is shifting. A widely watched gauge shows consumer confidence plunging, with fears of rising unemployment and inflation at the highest levels in years.

Market Volatility and Economic Strain

The April tariff announcements caught many by surprise, shaking stock markets and sending safe-haven Treasury bonds tumbling. As The Wall Street Journal reported, banks are bracing for potential losses. JPMorgan set aside $973 million for future defaults. Wells Fargo’s CFO Michael Santomassimo told WSJ, “I think a lot of people are taking a step back saying, I need to get more clarity, certainty about where things are going.”

Mixed Fortunes: Trading Revenue Surges

Amid the uncertainty, trading desks at major banks have seen a surge in activity. In Q1 2025, JPMorgan brought in a record $3.8 billion in equities trading revenue, while Morgan Stanley’s jumped 45% to $4.13 billion. However, Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick cautioned on a call quoted by WSJ, “Are we talking about the re-architecting of industrial policy in the context of America’s place today and where it wants to be decades from now? Those are weighty issues.”

Calls for Resolution and Reassurance

Wall Street leaders urged the Trump administration to resolve trade tensions quickly. Dimon said on a call with analysts, “I think the best thing to do is to allow the Secretary of Treasury and the folks working with him and the administration to finish as quickly as possible the agreements that they need to make around tariffs,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Fink added, “The sweeping tariff announcements went further than I could have imagined in my 49 years in finance.”

Some Light in the Tunnel

Despite the turmoil, some optimism remains. Pick told WSJ he’s “cautiously optimistic that we won’t go into recession.” Fink voiced long-term confidence in the U.S. economy but warned that America’s dominance is under challenge: “American exceptionalism... is being challenged.” Dimon added: “This is still the most prosperous nation on the planet, [with the] deepest and widest capital markets the world has ever seen.”

Still, his focus appears to be on a bigger issue: “I really almost don’t care fundamentally about what the economy does next. That isn’t that important. To keep the world safe and free, that is the most important thing.”