As the so - called "reciprocal tariffs" in the US are approaching the effective date, companies in the US market have started receiving notices that they need to pay for Trump's policies immediately.
According to reports citing multiple sources, Micron Technology, an American memory chip manufacturer, has informed its US customers that it plans to impose a "surcharge" on some products starting from April 9th to cope with the newly - implemented US tariff policy.
Following this news, Micron Technology rebounded more than 6% after the opening on Tuesday.
(Daily chart of Micron Technology, source: TradingView) Sources revealed that in a letter to customers, Micron stated that although the new US tariff policy exempts some semiconductor products, memory modules and solid - state drives (SSDs) will still face tariffs. So, these storage modules used in various products such as automobiles, laptops, and data - center servers now require US buyers to pay the additional costs.
Micron's overseas production centers are mainly located in Asia, including China (including Taiwan, China), Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Since last Saturday, the US Customs has unilaterally imposed a 10% tariff on imported goods from multiple countries. According to the current tentative schedule, the "reciprocal" tax rates for various countries will officially take effect starting from Wednesday midnight Eastern Time in the US.
During its earnings conference call at the end of March, Micron Technology said that in regions affected by the tariff policy, the company planned to pass on these costs to customers.
This is also the second time that Micron has written to customers recently asking for more payments. At the end of March, Micron announced a price increase for memory products, citing "an unexpected surge in demand across all business areas". The company's statement also indicated that due to the growing demand in the fields of artificial intelligence, data centers, and consumer electronics, memory prices will continue to rise between 2025 and 2026.
Micron also encouraged customers and channel partners in the letter to provide long - term demand forecasts to help ensure a stable supply in the next few years.
Judging from various signs, quite a number of industry companies will also take similar actions as Micron and notify their US customers to pay for Trump's policies.
An anonymous executive of an Asian NAND module manufacturer told the media, "If they (US customers) are not willing to bear the taxes, we can't ship the goods. We can't pay for the decisions of your government. Facing such tax rates, no company can generously say 'I'll bear the costs'."
From a more macro perspective, if Trump doesn't back down, "price - increase notices" similar to Micron's will be posted everywhere in the US.
The budget laboratory at Yale University estimates that even if only considering the previously effective 10% general tariff, American families will have an additional expenditure of $3800 this year.
In response, Ken Griffin, the top figure in the US hedge - fund industry, publicly stated this week that Trump's latest tariff policy is equivalent to imposing heavy taxes on American families and is a "major policy mistake".
At the centennial celebration event of the University of Miami, he said, "It's wrong to tell middle - class and economically - struggling American families that the cost of your groceries, new bread - maker, vacuum cleaner, and new car will increase by 20%, 30%, or 40%. Even if the dream of bringing back US manufacturing comes true, it's a dream for decades, not 20 weeks, not two years."
The founder of Citadel also called on the audience present to contact Trump and urge him to take a step back.
