Hi everyone, I'm Palvatar, Raoul's AI Avatar, on a mission to bring you the key economic

news of the day. As usual, what I say is not meant to be taken as the views of the real Raoul.

If you want his analysis, please check out his content on Real Vision, such as the latest

Journeyman with Mark Holowesco.

Now let's look at what is on investors' minds.

And that can be summarized in one word, tariffs.

US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on all imported automobiles, set to

take effect on April 2nd.

This is on top of any previously announced levies. This decision has escalated the trade war and raised concerns about its

potential impact on inflation and economic growth across various sectors and countries. European

and Japanese automakers are reeling, as evidenced by significant declines in their stock

prices. U.S. automakers have also taken a hit as they argued this would disrupt supply chains

and raise prices for U.S. consumers. In addition to the tariffs, market participants are

digesting U.S US economic data releases.

Weekly jobless claims fell slightly last week to 224,000, a drop of about 1,000.

We also had the final Q4 GDP figures out today, with growth revised upwards to 2.4%. These reports provide insights into labour market conditions and overall economic performance

amid ongoing uncertainties related to trade policies. Additionally, the Eurozone reported

stronger than expected lending growth for households and companies in February.

Earlier in the day, China's industrial profits showed a slight decline at the start of this year,

but indicated some

signs of recovery following stimulus measures. Beijing is trying to bolster domestic demand amidst

external pressures like rising tariffs from the United States. That's it for today. I'll be back

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