The latest Market Talks covering U.S. politics. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

0413 ET - Uncertainty over U.S. tariffs are causing the dollar to weaken, says Tickmill's Joseph Dahrieh in a note. Over the weekend, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that tariffs against Mexico and Canada remain "fluid," hinting at possible reductions from the proposed 25%, the managing principal says. Dollar weakness might not last long, however, as tariffs are still expected to go ahead. "A 10% tariff on Chinese goods is set to take effect tomorrow, which could provide temporary relief to the currency," Dahrieh says. The DXY dollar falls 0.3% to 107.252. (emese.bartha@wsj.com)

0318 ET - The dollar falls after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said tariffs on Canada and Mexico would take effect Tuesday but hinted they could be lower than the planned 25%. "The FX market is not pricing in 25% duties as a base case, and still leans in favor of either smaller tariffs or another last minute deal," ING analyst Francesco Pesole says in a note. The dollar is also hit by recently soft U.S. data that has dented the notion of U.S. exceptionalism, he says. If data this week are also soft and tariffs against Canada and Mexico are delayed again, the dollar faces further declines. The DXY dollar index drops 0.3% to 107.277. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)

0251 ET - Bitcoin rises sharply and could extend its recovery after President Trump announced the creation of a U.S. strategic crypto reserve, XTB's Kathleen Brooks says. "Ironically, a [cryptocurrency] that was designed to be isolated from government interference and decentralized, is now reliant on the U.S. government for its fortunes," she says. Investors in the options market are betting on further gains for cryptocurrencies following Trump's announcement. Bitcoin could rise back to $100,000 as part of a broad-based recovery in crypto, she says. Bitcoin rises 9.3% to $92,090, according to LSEG. It reached a three-and-a-half-month low of $78,273 on Friday. On his Truth Social platform Sunday, Trump said the crypto reserve would include bitcoin, ether, XRP, Solana's SOL token and Cardano's ADA. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)

2019 ET - Australian prime ministerial hopeful Peter Dutton has described Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "modern day war hero" who deserves ongoing support, while adding he was disappointed by the confrontation between U.S. President Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office before the weekend. With a federal election set to be called in Australia, Dutton, the leader of the Liberal-National Coalition, could be leading the country within weeks. Dutton told reporters that European nations need to be more independent in terms of funding their own defense, adding that while the U.S. has an incredibly important role to play internationally, "it can't be everywhere at once," he added. (james.glynn@wsj.com; @JamesGlynnWSJ)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 03, 2025 04:13 ET (09:13 GMT)

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