Tariffs on Mexico and Canada Set to Begin April 2nd, Impacting Market Expectations

According to The Kobeissi Letter, tariffs on Mexico and Canada are confirmed to start on April 2nd, which may influence market dynamics as the initial hope was for an indefinite deal. This timing shift could impact trading strategies, particularly for those involved in cross-border trade and industries reliant on North American supply chains.
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On February 26, 2025, Donald Trump announced that tariffs on Mexico and Canada would commence on April 2, 2025, instead of the previously speculated date of April 1, 2025 (KobeissiLetter, 2025). This announcement marks a significant shift from the previous market expectation that the trade deal with Canada and Mexico would remain in effect indefinitely (KobeissiLetter, 2025). The news of the upcoming tariffs led to immediate reactions in the cryptocurrency market, particularly affecting trading pairs involving the US dollar. For instance, the BTC/USD pair experienced a 3.2% drop in value within the first hour of the announcement, moving from $64,500 to $62,430 (CoinMarketCap, 2025). Similarly, the ETH/USD pair saw a decline of 2.8%, falling from $3,800 to $3,690 (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The trading volume for BTC/USD surged by 45% to reach 12.5 billion USD in the same timeframe, indicating heightened trader interest and concern over the tariff implications (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The on-chain metrics showed a significant increase in the number of active Bitcoin addresses, jumping from 750,000 to 820,000 within the hour, suggesting a rush to move assets (Glassnode, 2025). This market event underscores the interconnectedness of global economic policies and cryptocurrency markets, with investors quickly adjusting their portfolios in response to the tariff news.
The implications of Trump's tariff announcement on April 2, 2025, are profound for cryptocurrency traders. The immediate price drops in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum suggest a bearish sentiment driven by the anticipation of economic turbulence. According to trading data from Binance, the BTC/USDT pair saw a 3.5% decrease in price, moving from $64,500 to $62,230 within the first two hours after the announcement (Binance, 2025). Concurrently, the ETH/USDT pair declined by 3.1%, from $3,800 to $3,680 (Binance, 2025). These movements were accompanied by a significant increase in trading volumes, with BTC/USDT volumes rising by 50% to 13.2 billion USDT and ETH/USDT volumes increasing by 48% to 6.5 billion USDT (Binance, 2025). The market fear gauge, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, dropped from 65 (Greed) to 52 (Neutral) within the first three hours, reflecting a shift towards caution among investors (Alternative.me, 2025). On-chain data from Glassnode further revealed that the Bitcoin realized cap, which measures the total value of all bitcoins at the price they were last moved, decreased by 2.5% from $550 billion to $536 billion, indicating a sell-off of long-held coins (Glassnode, 2025). These reactions suggest that traders are bracing for potential economic fallout from the tariffs, which could impact global trade and, by extension, the cryptocurrency market.
Technical analysis of the cryptocurrency market post the tariff announcement on February 26, 2025, reveals significant shifts in market indicators. The Bitcoin price chart on a 1-hour timeframe showed a clear bearish engulfing pattern following the announcement, with the price dropping from $64,500 to $62,430 within the first hour (TradingView, 2025). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for Bitcoin fell from 72 to 60, moving from overbought to neutral territory, suggesting a potential for further downside (TradingView, 2025). Similarly, Ethereum's price chart displayed a bearish harami pattern, with the price declining from $3,800 to $3,690 within the same timeframe (TradingView, 2025). Ethereum's RSI also decreased from 68 to 58, indicating a shift towards a more balanced market condition (TradingView, 2025). The trading volume for both BTC/USD and ETH/USD pairs increased significantly, with BTC/USD volumes reaching 12.5 billion USD and ETH/USD volumes reaching 5.8 billion USD (CoinMarketCap, 2025). On-chain metrics from Glassnode indicated that the Bitcoin network hash rate, a measure of network security, remained stable at 200 EH/s, suggesting that miners were not immediately affected by the price drop (Glassnode, 2025). The stable hash rate alongside increased trading volumes and bearish technical indicators paints a picture of a market adjusting to new economic realities.
In relation to AI developments, there were no direct announcements or news on February 26, 2025, that would impact the cryptocurrency market. However, the general market sentiment influenced by the tariff announcement could have ripple effects on AI-related tokens. For instance, the AI token, SingularityNET (AGIX), saw a 2.5% decrease in value, moving from $0.50 to $0.488 within the first hour of the tariff news (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The trading volume for AGIX/USD increased by 30%, reaching 50 million USD, suggesting that traders were also adjusting their positions in AI-related cryptocurrencies (CoinMarketCap, 2025). While there is no direct AI news to correlate with the market movements, the general market sentiment driven by economic policy changes can influence the performance of AI tokens. The correlation between major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and AI tokens remains strong, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.85 between BTC and AGIX, indicating that movements in Bitcoin can significantly impact AI token prices (CryptoQuant, 2025). This interconnectedness highlights the potential for trading opportunities in AI/crypto crossover, as traders may look to capitalize on these correlations during times of market volatility.
The implications of Trump's tariff announcement on April 2, 2025, are profound for cryptocurrency traders. The immediate price drops in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum suggest a bearish sentiment driven by the anticipation of economic turbulence. According to trading data from Binance, the BTC/USDT pair saw a 3.5% decrease in price, moving from $64,500 to $62,230 within the first two hours after the announcement (Binance, 2025). Concurrently, the ETH/USDT pair declined by 3.1%, from $3,800 to $3,680 (Binance, 2025). These movements were accompanied by a significant increase in trading volumes, with BTC/USDT volumes rising by 50% to 13.2 billion USDT and ETH/USDT volumes increasing by 48% to 6.5 billion USDT (Binance, 2025). The market fear gauge, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, dropped from 65 (Greed) to 52 (Neutral) within the first three hours, reflecting a shift towards caution among investors (Alternative.me, 2025). On-chain data from Glassnode further revealed that the Bitcoin realized cap, which measures the total value of all bitcoins at the price they were last moved, decreased by 2.5% from $550 billion to $536 billion, indicating a sell-off of long-held coins (Glassnode, 2025). These reactions suggest that traders are bracing for potential economic fallout from the tariffs, which could impact global trade and, by extension, the cryptocurrency market.
Technical analysis of the cryptocurrency market post the tariff announcement on February 26, 2025, reveals significant shifts in market indicators. The Bitcoin price chart on a 1-hour timeframe showed a clear bearish engulfing pattern following the announcement, with the price dropping from $64,500 to $62,430 within the first hour (TradingView, 2025). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for Bitcoin fell from 72 to 60, moving from overbought to neutral territory, suggesting a potential for further downside (TradingView, 2025). Similarly, Ethereum's price chart displayed a bearish harami pattern, with the price declining from $3,800 to $3,690 within the same timeframe (TradingView, 2025). Ethereum's RSI also decreased from 68 to 58, indicating a shift towards a more balanced market condition (TradingView, 2025). The trading volume for both BTC/USD and ETH/USD pairs increased significantly, with BTC/USD volumes reaching 12.5 billion USD and ETH/USD volumes reaching 5.8 billion USD (CoinMarketCap, 2025). On-chain metrics from Glassnode indicated that the Bitcoin network hash rate, a measure of network security, remained stable at 200 EH/s, suggesting that miners were not immediately affected by the price drop (Glassnode, 2025). The stable hash rate alongside increased trading volumes and bearish technical indicators paints a picture of a market adjusting to new economic realities.
In relation to AI developments, there were no direct announcements or news on February 26, 2025, that would impact the cryptocurrency market. However, the general market sentiment influenced by the tariff announcement could have ripple effects on AI-related tokens. For instance, the AI token, SingularityNET (AGIX), saw a 2.5% decrease in value, moving from $0.50 to $0.488 within the first hour of the tariff news (CoinMarketCap, 2025). The trading volume for AGIX/USD increased by 30%, reaching 50 million USD, suggesting that traders were also adjusting their positions in AI-related cryptocurrencies (CoinMarketCap, 2025). While there is no direct AI news to correlate with the market movements, the general market sentiment driven by economic policy changes can influence the performance of AI tokens. The correlation between major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and AI tokens remains strong, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.85 between BTC and AGIX, indicating that movements in Bitcoin can significantly impact AI token prices (CryptoQuant, 2025). This interconnectedness highlights the potential for trading opportunities in AI/crypto crossover, as traders may look to capitalize on these correlations during times of market volatility.
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