📈Market performance across the world slumps - March 2025 📈

Due to the recent volatile and protectionist policies implemented by the Trump administration, both the global and Australian share markets have been significantly impacted.

In March 2025, the US announced a 25% tariff across all aluminium and steel imports. This was to “bring wealth back to the US” via manufacturing jobs which were preserved by protectionist policies. However, economists have criticised the implementation of the tariffs themselves and their “on-and-off” implementation. Since January 2025, tariffs have been implemented and then subsequently withheld three times, causing volatility and uncertainty in the global economy indicated by lowered consumer confidence.

In the US, the S&P 500 dropped 2.7%, down 9% from its all-time high last month, with stocks such as NVIDIA losing over $1 trillion in value over the last month. This has caused fears of recession in the American economy, as share market downturn is an indication of consumer uncertainty.

Due to globalisation, this has caused further uncertainty domestically which has influenced the Australian share market, as the ASX 200 index was down 8.9% over the last month.

Further, the volatility of Trump’s policies has impacted  Australian superannuation savings. This is because these savings typically invest 60% in share markets for greater long-term returns, significantly comprised of American companies.

With no end in sight to these protectionist and economically detrimental policies, the Australian share market is likely to endure more setbacks in the near future.