A picture shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
Primitive oil futures fell more than 3% on Thursday, as President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on China overshadowed his 90-day discontinuance on higher rates for most other countries.
U.S. crude oil fell $2.28, or 3.66%, to close at $60.07 per barrel, while epidemic benchmark Brent lost $2.15, or 3.28%, to settle at $63.33 per barrel.
Crude prices rallied Wednesday after Trump asserted a lower, temporary tariff rate of 10% on most U.S. trade partners. Trump said he was open to negotiating trades with countries that don’t retaliate. West Texas Intermediate swung 13% from the session low to close at $62.35 per barrel.
But Trump’s outcome to increase tariffs on China, the world’s second-largest economy and biggest crude importer, to an eye-watering 145% weighed on the Stock Exchange Thursday.
“The tariffs on China are now higher — that’s still pretty significant,” said Jim Burkhard, head of oil market study at S&P Global Commodity Insights. “These negotiations with all these different countries — can the U.S negotiate with 70 countries all at split second? I don’t think the chaos is over.”