Global markets are tense as investors await President Donald Trump's much-anticipated "Liberation Day" tariff announcement.

U.S. stocks closed up on Wednesday ahead of President Donald Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs, which the White House dubbed "Liberation Day." The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 230 points, or 0.5%, while the S &P 500 rose 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq increased 0.8%.

While there are a few concerns that have investors' attention at the moment, including a forecasted contraction in first-quarter gross domestic product, along with the historic priciness of stocks, perhaps the prevailing issue for the stock market is President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

The New York Stock Exchange opening bell rings to start the day's trading after President Donald Trump announced his plans for sweeping tariffs on April 2.

Wednesday’s upcoming tariff announcements provide a wide range of possible outcomes. The uncertainty and downside risks to the economy and earnings have rattled markets.

President Trump will announce widespread tariffs on April 2, an event he’s referring to as “Liberation Day.” The fact that Liberation Day may determine what happens to stocks next has caught the attention of veteran analyst Tom Lee of FundStrat.

President Trump’s recent “Liberation Day” announcement regarding tariffs has caused a flood of memes across social media. On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump declared a national economic emergency,

Options data indicates big swings are possible in responses to Trump's tariff announcements on Wednesday. Here's what to know.

Viewers of CNBC’s broadcast of the president’s so-called “Liberation Day” speech could see this process unfolding live: the network showed the real-time after-hours stock prices for Apple (-4.5 percent), Nvidia (-3 percent), Nike (-5.7 percent), and many others on screen as Trump spoke, all of them dropping.