Trump tariff pause leaves CEOs asking: What happens in 90 days?

BELGRADE/FRANKFURT/LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's sudden about-face on sweeping import tariffs did little to soothe companies' worries about the fallout from his trade war and its chaotic implementation: soaring costs, falling orders and snarled supply chains.

In a stunning reversal, the president said on Wednesday he would temporarily lower the hefty tariffs he had just imposed on dozens of countries, though he also hiked duties for China and kept 25% tariffs levied on aluminium, steel and autos in place.

The news sent global stocks soaring after an intense bout of volatility that wiped trillions of dollars off equity markets. Investors hope there will now be time for negotiations to avert a full-blown global trade war.

On Thursday, the European Union said it would pause its first countermeasures on about 21 billion euros ($23 billion) of U.S. imports.

But for company executives, the latest reversal in Trump's tariff agenda has only added to confusion about its objective.

Companies with complex and diverse supply chains spanning multiple countries from China to Germany were already scrambling to work out how they would be affected by duties and grappling with possible price hikes to mitigate tariff risks.

Now they are questioning what happens after the 90-day pause.

Those tricky calculations come at a time when consumer confidence is waning and worries are growing about a global recession.

"Global trade flows are complex and the (...) conditions for cross-border trade are currently changing rapidly," German chemicals company BASF said on Thursday.

The comp...
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