Robert Brand

Mon, May 26, 2025, 1:55 PM5 min read

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks climbed along with US equity futures after President Donald Trump extended a deadline on aggressive euro area tariffs, reinforcing a pattern of leaving markets guessing by making trade threats before backtracking.

Most Read from Bloomberg

• NY Private School Pleads for Donors to Stay Open After Declaring Bankruptcy

• UAE’s AI University Aims to Become Stanford of the Gulf

• NYC’s War on Trash Gets a Glam Squad

• Pacific Coast Highway to Reopen Near Malibu After January Fires

The Stoxx Europe 600 index erased Friday’s losses sparked by Trump’s threat of 50% tariffs on the European Union. The US President later said he had agreed to delay the date for the levies to July 9 from June 1. Contracts for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 advanced more than 1%. A gauge of the dollar hovered near its lowest level in almost two years. Cash Treasuries didn’t trade due to holidays in the UK and US.

The tariff war has returned as the major driver once again after concerns about Trump’s proposed tax cuts, and their impact on the US deficit, churned markets much of last week. Trump’s whiplash moves have increased uncertainty in markets and his broadside against Europe on Friday, followed by a backtrack, was a stark reminder of the president’s volatile policy making.

“The stock market seems to dance to Trump’s tune: first a threat, then a pullback, quickly followed by a rebound as speculative investors anticipate a concession from the US President,” said Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. “This morning’s confirmation of such expectations reinforces the so-called ‘Trump Pattern,’ which is increasingly seen as a successful strategy for risk-tolerant investors.”

Trump’s decision to extend the deadline came after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive arm, said earlier Sunday in a post on X that “Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” but “a good deal” will need “time until July 9.” That’s the date on which Trump’s 90-day pause of his so-called reciprocal tariffs had originally been set to end.

“One thing that is starting to concern us a bit is the fact that the rebounds that follow these selloffs are losing strength as we go on,” said Frederic Rozier, a portfolio manager at Mirabaud France. “We can sense investor fatigue about this back-and-forth and there’s a risk sentiment will erode as markets run in circles on tariffs. The only thing we know is that even if there’s an agreement, there will be a cost for European stocks.”