Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from new tariffs
Financial markets have been roiled since President Trump imposed stiff tariffs on China, where Apple and other tech companies make many of their products.
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, ahead of signing executive orders, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Smartphones and computers are among many tech devices and components that will be exempted from reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, according to new guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The guidance, issued late Friday evening, comes after Trump earlier this month imposed 145% tariffs on products from China, a move that threatened to take a toll on tech giants like Apple, which makes iPhones and most of its other products in China.
The guidance also includes exclusions for other electronic devices and components, including semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel TV displays, flash drives, and memory cards.
These products could eventually be subject to additional duties, but they are likely to be far lower than the 145% rate that Trump had imposed on goods from China.
The exemptions are a win for tech companies like Apple, which makes the majority of its products in China. The country manufactures 80% of iPads and more than half of Mac computers produced, according to Evercore ISI.
"This is the dream scenario for tech investors," Dan Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC. "Smartphones, chips being excluded is a game changer scenario when it comes to China tariffs."
He added that the tariffs have been a "black cloud over tech since the day of liberation, because no sector was going to be more hurt than big tech."
"I think ultimately big tech CEOs spoke loudly, and the White House had to understand and listen to the situation that this would have been Armageddon for big tech if were implemented," Ives said.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
In the days since Trump's tariff announcement, Apple lost over $640 billion in market value, CNBC previously reported. The cost of an iPhone under Trump's tariff plan could have ballooned to as high as $3,500 under some estimates.
Since Trump's tariffs announcement, stocks have sold off sharply as uncertainty and volatility on Wall Street spiked. The S&P 500 plunged more than 5% during the period until Friday's close.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield soared more than 50 basis points during the week, one of its largest jumps on record, as the whiplash from Trump's trade policy led investors to sell off U.S. assets.
The bond market's move higher may have forced the White House's hand into some reversals, including a 90-day tariff reprieve on most countries in favor of a universal 10% rate announced Wednesday — excluding China.
The items excluded from Trump's reciprocal tariffs under the new guidelines are effective for products that have left the warehouse as of April 5, 2025.The reason for this stipulation is freight is charged at the current date of transport out of a manufacturing plant, warehouse and onto a vessel for transport.
This provides clarity and financial planning for the U.S. shipper, who is responsible for paying the tariff once it arrives weeks later at U.S. Customs for processing and release.
