Trump Hails “Very Good Meeting” With China, Investors Scramble to Decipher Meaning…

U.S. and Chinese officials just spent eight hours locked inside a Swiss villa trying to reverse-engineer reality and unscrew a trade war that’s been escalating faster than my cholesterol levels in this market. The result? According to Donnie Politics, “GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!”. Of course, there were no actual deliverables, timelines, or agreements, just a few smiles and radio silence from both delegations—but apparently, that’s enough to trigger a “total reset” in U.S.-China trade relations. Reset to what, exactly, is still unclear. 

(Source: Giphy) 

In short, the talks took place in Geneva, under a veil of semi-secrecy that was blown wide open when a convoy of blacked-out vans and officials rolled into a gated ambassador’s residence like it was the G20, but make it Airbnb. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Rep Jamieson Greer represented the U.S., while China sent Vice Premier He Lifeng and a diplomatic poker face. They reportedly discussed... things. Possibly trade. Possibly lunch. No official statement followed, which is either a very bad sign or a very good one depending on how addicted you are to speculative headlines. 

(Source: Guardian) 

But what we do know is that tariffs are still sky-high, and no one has blinked yet. The U.S. is sitting on a 145% tariff pile, China’s at 125%, and bilateral trade has been reduced to something resembling a Cold War thrift exchange. The meetings happened against that backdrop of economic tension, rare earth export controls, and a global supply chain that’s been in “permanently scuffed” mode since 2020. And yet the fact that anyone showed up at all seems to count as a win.

Trump’s post-meeting commentary came through Truth Social, where caps lock remains the default tone. He called it a “very good meeting” and said it was “negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner”. He also said the goal was to “open up China to American business,” which is a statement that has appeared in approximately every trade negotiation since 1980 and will likely outlive us all.

(Source: BBC) 

But alas, on the sidelines, the Swiss economy minister declared the mere existence of the talks a success. So there’s a witness, and whether he’s just saying that because he’s being pressured to, who knows. Until more details come out, we’re still very much waiting on the edge of our seats with this one. Of course, talks will resume for a second day today—but again, there’s still no consensus on who asked for the talks. China says it was the U.S., the U.S. says China initiated. So I’m calling it a mutual ghost text that accidentally turned into a brunch. 

What matters now is whether the vague optimism turns into something actionable that doesn’t involve the two most powerful countries on Earth suplexing each other, or if this the calm before a market nuking storm. Additionally, no actual tariff reductions were announced, but Trump did float the idea of 80% tariffs being “right,” which, for the record, is lower than 145% (and yet, still high enough to make C-Suites consider doing yoga in the fetal position). 

(Source: Giphy) 

In the end, if this is a reset, it’s more like turning the Wi-Fi router off and on again: nothing’s really fixed, but at least people are pretending something changed. And until we get more details on the matter… that’s all this will feel like. Meaning, keep your heads on a swivel, friends and place your bets accordingly. It could either get really pretty or really ugly. Until next time… 

P.S. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you liked getting rekt. Let’s face it, retail investors get the short end of the stick all day everyday. It’s the smart money’s world, and we are just living in it–only useful when it comes to liquidity purposes in the market. Meaning, if you’re as pissed off as I was when I found out Milli Vanilli was lip syncing the whole time, then it’s time to go from investing blind, to investing smart. Luckily for you, the key is right here as a Stocks.News premium member. Click here to see exactly how our premium members are printing while others quake in the face of today’s market chaos. 

Stocks.News does not hold positions in companies mentioned in the article.