Tariffs Didn’t Cause the Correction — It Was Coming Anyway🚩 Intro: Markets Correct — They Don’t Need Permission
Every time the market drops hard, the headlines rush in to explain it. This time, it was President Trump’s dramatic tariff announcement on April 2nd. The media called it a shock.
I didn’t.
I’ve been calling for S&P 500 to drop to 5,200, and NASDAQ-100 to 17,500, since early January.
Not because I predicted tariffs. But because the charts told the story.
The market didn’t fall because of politics — it fell because it had to.
________________________________________
🔥 The Spark: Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs
On April 2, 2025, Trump rolled out an aggressive trade agenda:
• 10% blanket tariff on all imports
• Up to 54% tariffs on Chinese goods
• 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts
• With limited exemptions for USMCA-aligned countries
Markets reacted instantly:
• S&P 500 dropped 4.8% — worst day since 2020
• NASDAQ-100 plunged over 6%
• Tech mega caps lost 5–14% in a day
Sounds like cause and effect, right?
Wrong.
________________________________________
🧠 The Real Cause: A Market That Was Ready to Fall
Let’s talk technicals:
• S&P 500 had printed a textbook double top at the 6100–6150 zone
• NASDAQ-100 had formed a rising wedge, with volume divergence and momentum fading
• RSI divergence was in place since February
• MACD had crossed bearish and also deverging
• Breadth was weakening while indices were still pushing highs
• Sentiment was euphoric, volatility crushed — a classic setup
You didn’t need to guess the news. The structure was screaming reversal.
SP500 CHART:
NASDAQ CHART:
________________________________________
🧩 Why Tariffs Made a Convenient Narrative
Markets love clean stories. And Trump’s tariffs offered everything:
• Emotional trigger
• Economic fear factor
• Political drama
• Global implications
But smart traders know better: markets correct based on positioning, not politics.
As soon as the wedge broke on NAS100 and SPX broke the double top's neck line the path was clear — risk off.
________________________________________
📉 I Was Calling This Since Q1
The targets were public:
SPX = 5,200. NAS100 = 17,500.
And the logic was simple:
• Overextension in AI-led tech
• Complacent VIX environment
• Crowded long positioning
• Bearish divergences and fading momentum
Double Top and Rising Wedge on SPX and Nas100
We didn’t need a reason to drop. The market had been levitating without support. All we needed was a trigger — and we got one.
________________________________________
🧭 Lesson: Trade the Structure, Not the Story
Here’s what I hope you take away:
✅ Setups come first. News comes later.
✅ If it wasn’t tariffs, it would’ve been CPI, earnings, Fed minutes, or a bird on a wire
✅ Don’t chase headlines. Anticipate setups.
The best trades aren’t reactive. They’re built on structure, sentiment, and timing — not waiting for CNBC to tell them what’s happening.
________________________________________
🔚 Conclusion: It Was Never About Tariffs
Tariffs were the match.
But the market was already soaked in gasoline.
This correction was technical, predictable, and clean.
📝 Post Scriptum — The Setup Shapes the Narrative
Let me be clear:
I’m not a Trump fan. Hoho — not by far.
But I’ll swear this on any chart:
If the setup had been the opposite — double bottom, falling wedge, positive divergences, and improving momentum — these exact same tariffs would’ve been interpreted as “bold leadership,” “pro-growth protectionism,” or “markets pricing in a stronger America.”
That’s how it works.
Price action leads. Narrative follows.
When structure is bullish, traders celebrate even bad news.
When structure is bearish, even good news becomes a reason to sell.
So no — it wasn’t about Trump. It never is. It’s about where the market wants to go. The rest is storytelling.
Disclosure: I am part of Trade Nation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
