Donald Trump considering a 90-day pause on tariffs? White House clarifies

The US stock markets on Monday bore the brunt of the trade war provoked by President Donald Trump as they plummeted in early trade. The markets, however, reacted positively to an official's alleged remark that Trump had been considering pausing tariffs for 90 days, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 300 points after a 1,200-point drop.

Kevin Hassett had reportedly told Fox News that president Donald Trump is going to decide whatever he is going to decide. (AFP)

The uptick in the index was triggered by an alleged remark by White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett that US President Donald Trump was mulling a 90-day respite from his sweeping reciprocal tariffs for all countries except China. The remark had been shared by a couple of social media users, and went viral within minutes.