Weekly Data Summary Report

As of​ July 14, 2025 

Below is a summary of the United States, primarily based on​ critical events related to President Donald Trump, and the trade war, within the week.

Disclaimer: Please note this is opinion-based; do not take it as investment advice.

Key Highlight of the Week

BRICS

Trump also announced an additional 10% on countries aligning with the “anti-American policies” of the BRICS group, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others.  

Trade Letter

President Trump issued the trade letter with the tariff rate to the major trading partners, starting off with 25% tariffs on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, ranging to 50% tariffs on Brazil, as shown in the image below: 

All of these are set to be effective on August 01, 2025. 

And all the economies have an equal opportunity to renegotiate, reciprocate, or even concede; however, Trump’s letter warned that any countries choosing to reciprocate would face double the original rate

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is reportedly considering resignation due to intense pressure from President Donald Trump. And while William J. Pulte, chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has commented on these reports, Powell himself has not officially confirmed them. 

→ Should Powell resign, gold prices would likely rise. This is because Trump aims to significantly lower interest rates to address the national debt, and Powell’s opposition has been a key obstacle. 

Overall, Trump focused heavily on imposing new tariffs, including 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea, a 10% additional tariff on BRICS-aligned countries, and threats of 35% and 50% tariffs on Canada and Brazil, respectively this week. And all of these are causing some upward movement for the gold price. So as long as the trade dispute remains, the gold is likely to go up and vice versa. 

The Market Reaction

The gold price continues to trend higher after a rebound last week as the uncertainty arises around the trade agreement between US President Donald Trump and his major trading partners. At the same time, the stock market dropped last week by -0.31%, especially when the copper tariffs were being imposed at 50% under Trump’s trade policy. 

Looking Forward

Economic Indicators: 

U.S. inflation data, including the consumer price index and producer price index, will be in the spotlight for this week, especially since Trump started​ the trade war once again. 

Even some Federal Reserve members were split at the last FOMC meeting minutes, with a belief that the trade tension could only spark one-time inflation, while the inflation projection was softened; we cannot fully deny that inflation won’t be the problem for the US economy as well. 

In fact, both inflation rates have risen since April, so if this data continues to show a continuous rise, then we are likely to see more odds supporting holding the rate longer or even possibly reducing the probability in September as well. And vice versa for softer printed CPI and PPI. 

The rate cut projection stands on hold with the rate with odds of 93.3% as of Monday, 14 July 2025.

Earning Calendar

At the beginning of the week, we will have the bank earnings report from Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, etc. 

But do be cautious on Thursday; two major earnings reports will be released, including Taiwan Semiconductor and Netflix. 

Taiwan Semiconductor

Despite a short-term profit-taking, looking into a bigger picture, the Taiwan Semiconductor surged by more than 50% in the past three months, a.k.a. —More than Nvidia, showing a rising demand for high-end chip manufacturing and an optimistic outlook from the investor. 

→ According to Dow Jones & Co. Barron, “The company might benefit from a tariff rule that says if at least 20% of an imported item’s value is ‘produced or transformed in the U.S.,’ the tariffs will be levied on the non-US content.” But for now, we are still unsure. 

Netflix

Netflix has also risen high since April, and now Morgan Stanley adjusted its Price Target on Netflix to $1,450 from $1,200, and even Keybanc and Wolfe Research also raised it to around $1,390 per share; all are suggesting a positive rating for the Netflix stock.