The stock market has been volatile over the past month, to say the least. On April 2, President Trump announced his sweeping tariff plan, putting a minimum 10% tariff on every country worldwide. Since that moment, the stock market has violently reacted to every new development regarding tariffs, whether positive or negative.
The current market volatility has real consequences for everyday Americans as well as businesses nationwide, and one notorious businessman has a lot to say about what’s going on: Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary.
Otherwise known as “Mr. Wonderful,” O’Leary is famous for his business acumen and his brutal honesty. He knows a thing or two about how the markets work, and he recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to speak his mind about the current market volatility. Here are the three things he thinks need to happen to stabilize the markets.
O’Leary said that making a deal and finalizing a trade agreement with a major U.S. trading partner is crucial to create the framework for all other deals.
“Pick any deal and get it done, whether it’s India, EU, England, Canada, Mexico,” explained O’Leary. “That’ll be the roadmap for all the other deals and show that these trade negotiations can be successfully initiated and completed.”
Essentially, until deals get done, the stock market may remain highly volatile and unpredictable.
Bloomberg reported that Trump is waging a trade war with China, slapping one of the largest economies on the planet with an unprecedented 145% tariff. This shocking move has further sent global markets into a tailspin.
“The second thing is the China situation, which is completely different ’cause China’s not just about tariffs,” said O’Leary. “It’s really a full-blown out economic war, and it’s gotta get resolved…”
If a deal isn’t made with China quickly, U.S. consumers may soon feel the pain in the form of higher prices for everyday goods and product shortages.
The Federal Reserve is an independent government agency, but also one that is accountable to Congress and the American public. The Fed has a “dual mandate;” one is to maintain maximum employment and the other is to maintain an inflation rate of no more than 2% over the long term.
However, O’Leary said that executives try to “jawbone” the Fed, meaning they attempt to persuade or pressure the Fed to make certain decisions. In order for markets to stabilize, he explained it needs to stop.
“Every executive jawbones the Fed, trying to get them to lower rates when it’s politically expedient,” he wrote. “It never works. The market doesn’t want that.”
Kevin O’Leary is a dynamic event speaker known for his sharp business insights, compelling storytelling, and practical advice drawn from his extensive experience as an entrepreneur and investor. Contact WWSG to host him!
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