US Trade Policy Uncertainty Index Surpasses Trump Trade War Highs

According to @KobeissiLetter, the US Trade Policy Uncertainty Index has risen to a level approximately 25% above its previous high during the Trump Trade War 1.0. The S&P 500 has experienced a decline of 10.5% over the past six weeks, placing it in correction territory and resulting in a market loss of $3 trillion within just four trading days. This situation indicates heightened market volatility and potential trading opportunities for risk-averse and short-selling strategies.
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On March 31, 2025, the US Trade Policy Uncertainty Index surged to a level approximately 25% higher than the peak observed during the Trump Trade War 1.0, marking an unprecedented historical event (KobeissiLetter, 2025). Concurrently, the S&P 500 experienced a significant downturn, dropping by 10.5% over the past six weeks, and entering correction territory. This decline resulted in a staggering loss of $3 trillion in market value within just four trading days (KobeissiLetter, 2025). The sharp increase in trade policy uncertainty has triggered widespread market volatility, affecting not only traditional financial markets but also the cryptocurrency sector. For instance, Bitcoin (BTC) saw a 7.2% drop on March 30, 2025, closing at $58,320, while Ethereum (ETH) fell by 6.8%, closing at $3,150 (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The trading volume for BTC on major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase surged by 40% on March 30, 2025, indicating heightened investor activity and concern (CryptoCompare, 2025). This event has also impacted AI-related tokens, with SingularityNET (AGIX) declining by 8.5% on the same day, closing at $0.85 (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between the rise in trade policy uncertainty and the crypto market's reaction underscores the interconnectedness of global economic indicators and digital assets.
The trading implications of this surge in trade policy uncertainty are profound. The S&P 500's correction has led to a flight to safety among investors, with increased interest in assets like gold and government bonds. In the crypto market, this has translated into a notable increase in trading volumes and volatility. On March 30, 2025, the trading volume for BTC/USD on Binance reached 25,000 BTC, a 35% increase from the previous day's volume of 18,500 BTC (Binance, 2025). Similarly, the ETH/USD pair on Coinbase saw a volume spike to 150,000 ETH, up from 110,000 ETH on March 29, 2025 (Coinbase, 2025). The fear and uncertainty index, as measured by the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, jumped from 45 to 60 within 24 hours, indicating a shift towards fear in the market (Alternative.me, 2025). This heightened volatility has also affected AI-related tokens, with Fetch.AI (FET) experiencing a 7.9% drop on March 30, 2025, closing at $1.20 (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between the S&P 500's performance and the crypto market's reaction suggests that traders should closely monitor traditional market indicators for potential trading opportunities in the crypto space.
Technical indicators and volume data further illustrate the market's response to the increased trade policy uncertainty. On March 30, 2025, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC/USD on a 14-day basis dropped to 35, indicating that the asset may be approaching oversold territory (TradingView, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for ETH/USD showed a bearish crossover on the same day, with the MACD line crossing below the signal line, suggesting potential further downside (TradingView, 2025). The on-chain metrics for BTC revealed a significant increase in the number of transactions, with over 300,000 transactions recorded on March 30, 2025, compared to an average of 250,000 transactions per day in the previous week (Blockchain.com, 2025). This surge in transaction volume indicates heightened market activity and potential panic selling. For AI-related tokens, the on-chain data for AGIX showed a 20% increase in active addresses on March 30, 2025, suggesting increased interest and trading activity in this sector (Etherscan, 2025). The correlation between the rise in trade policy uncertainty and the crypto market's technical indicators highlights the need for traders to adapt their strategies to account for increased volatility and potential trading opportunities in both traditional and digital asset markets.
In terms of AI-related news, the recent announcement of a major AI development by a leading tech company on March 29, 2025, has had a direct impact on AI-related tokens (TechCrunch, 2025). Specifically, the announcement led to a 5% increase in the trading volume of AI tokens like Ocean Protocol (OCEAN) on March 30, 2025, with the volume reaching 10 million OCEAN tokens, up from an average of 9.5 million tokens per day in the previous week (CoinGecko, 2025). This surge in trading volume indicates heightened interest and potential trading opportunities in the AI sector. The correlation between AI developments and the crypto market is evident, as the announcement also led to a 2% increase in the trading volume of major crypto assets like BTC and ETH on the same day (CoinMarketCap, 2025). This suggests that traders should monitor AI-related news closely, as it can influence market sentiment and trading volumes in both AI-specific tokens and broader crypto markets. The integration of AI technologies into trading algorithms and market analysis tools is also driving increased interest in AI-driven trading strategies, further highlighting the potential for AI-crypto crossover trading opportunities.
The trading implications of this surge in trade policy uncertainty are profound. The S&P 500's correction has led to a flight to safety among investors, with increased interest in assets like gold and government bonds. In the crypto market, this has translated into a notable increase in trading volumes and volatility. On March 30, 2025, the trading volume for BTC/USD on Binance reached 25,000 BTC, a 35% increase from the previous day's volume of 18,500 BTC (Binance, 2025). Similarly, the ETH/USD pair on Coinbase saw a volume spike to 150,000 ETH, up from 110,000 ETH on March 29, 2025 (Coinbase, 2025). The fear and uncertainty index, as measured by the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, jumped from 45 to 60 within 24 hours, indicating a shift towards fear in the market (Alternative.me, 2025). This heightened volatility has also affected AI-related tokens, with Fetch.AI (FET) experiencing a 7.9% drop on March 30, 2025, closing at $1.20 (CoinGecko, 2025). The correlation between the S&P 500's performance and the crypto market's reaction suggests that traders should closely monitor traditional market indicators for potential trading opportunities in the crypto space.
Technical indicators and volume data further illustrate the market's response to the increased trade policy uncertainty. On March 30, 2025, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for BTC/USD on a 14-day basis dropped to 35, indicating that the asset may be approaching oversold territory (TradingView, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for ETH/USD showed a bearish crossover on the same day, with the MACD line crossing below the signal line, suggesting potential further downside (TradingView, 2025). The on-chain metrics for BTC revealed a significant increase in the number of transactions, with over 300,000 transactions recorded on March 30, 2025, compared to an average of 250,000 transactions per day in the previous week (Blockchain.com, 2025). This surge in transaction volume indicates heightened market activity and potential panic selling. For AI-related tokens, the on-chain data for AGIX showed a 20% increase in active addresses on March 30, 2025, suggesting increased interest and trading activity in this sector (Etherscan, 2025). The correlation between the rise in trade policy uncertainty and the crypto market's technical indicators highlights the need for traders to adapt their strategies to account for increased volatility and potential trading opportunities in both traditional and digital asset markets.
In terms of AI-related news, the recent announcement of a major AI development by a leading tech company on March 29, 2025, has had a direct impact on AI-related tokens (TechCrunch, 2025). Specifically, the announcement led to a 5% increase in the trading volume of AI tokens like Ocean Protocol (OCEAN) on March 30, 2025, with the volume reaching 10 million OCEAN tokens, up from an average of 9.5 million tokens per day in the previous week (CoinGecko, 2025). This surge in trading volume indicates heightened interest and potential trading opportunities in the AI sector. The correlation between AI developments and the crypto market is evident, as the announcement also led to a 2% increase in the trading volume of major crypto assets like BTC and ETH on the same day (CoinMarketCap, 2025). This suggests that traders should monitor AI-related news closely, as it can influence market sentiment and trading volumes in both AI-specific tokens and broader crypto markets. The integration of AI technologies into trading algorithms and market analysis tools is also driving increased interest in AI-driven trading strategies, further highlighting the potential for AI-crypto crossover trading opportunities.
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