The week of April 15th was marked with sweeping White House moves, a sharp upheaval in the cryptocurrency market, and an unpopular shift in US healthcare policy.
This is a summary of key events from the past week.
Trump signss executive order regarding TikTok
Donald Trump has signed an executive ordering approving the restructuring of TikTok’s US operations. The business is valued at approximately $14 billion.
ByteDance was forced to sell its American division because the deal met national security standards. Otherwise, it would be banned.
Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX Fund will each control approximately 45% of ByteDance, with ByteDance holding less than 20%.
An additional 35% will come from existing investors and new owners. Oracle will continue to provide cloud services and manage the security operations.
It is worth noting that no ByteDance representative was present during the signing and China still hasn’t formally approved the deal.
TikTok’s US division was valued at $30-35 Billion by analysts, which shows the wide difference in values.
Tariffs imposed by the US on furniture, pharmaceuticals and trucks
Trump announced sweeping tariffs that will take effect on October 1, 2025.
A 100% duty on imported branded or patented drugs is the most controversial measure. It was designed to force drug companies to set up plants in America.
India, which accounts for 40% of US pharmaceutical imports, was the most affected by this announcement.
Analysts warn about potential disruptions in the supply chain and increased US drug prices.
The other industries targeted were: kitchen cabinets, vanities and upholstered furniture. Heavy trucks also received 25% tariffs.
Tariffs, while intended to increase domestic manufacturing and import-dependent industries’ pressures on prices may also raise the consumer price.
Trump’s Tylenol Remarks
Trump claimed that Tylenol and childhood vaccinations were linked to autism. This claim has been rejected by the leading medical authorities.
The President, who acknowledged that he was not a physician, told pregnant women to avoid Tylenol, and advised parents to postpone vaccinations.
Shares of Kenvue (Johnson & Johnson consumer health spin-off) fell by 7.1%, a new record.
Medical societies have continued to point out that acetaminophen can be used safely during pregnancy. This highlights the difference between government rhetoric and scientific consensus.
Cryptocurrency market sees $1.5B liquidation
The crypto markets experienced a major downturn Monday. More than $1.5 billion worth of long positions were liquidated within 24 hours.
Ethereum fell nearly 9%, to $4 075, after more than half a million dollars of leveraged bets had been unwind.
Bitcoin fell 3%, to $111.998, but altcoins such as Solana or XRP suffered even greater losses.
This massive liquidation has pushed the total capitalization of crypto markets below $4 trillion and erased weeks’ gains.
Analysts pointed to high leverage, scrutiny by regulators of ETFs and Stablecoins as well as global macro-uncertainty, among other factors, for the recent selloff.
The total capitalization of the crypto markets was $3.77 trillion on Saturday.
The major cryptocurrencies have also continued to weaken. Bitcoin is now trading at $108,294, down over 5% from last week, and Ethereum has fallen by 10%.
Nvidia pledges $100B for AI Data Center Expansion to OpenAI
Nvidia Corp. has announced that it is investing up to 100 billion dollars in OpenAI, to help build new data centres and infrastructure for large-scale AI workloads.
This announcement comes after the companies signed a letter outlining their strategic partnership.
OpenAI will use the investment to develop data centers powered by Nvidia’s AI chips with a capacity totaling 10 gigawatts. This will enable AI models to be trained and deployed at an unprecedented scale.
Nvidia, OpenAI and Nvidia Vera Rubin said that the first gigawatts of systems would be deployed on the Nvidia Vera Rubin Platform in the second halves of 2026.
Analysts point out that this partnership will boost Nvidia’s market share in AI hardware while also accelerating OpenAI’s capabilities for model deployment. This is a sign of investor interest in large-scale AI investments.
Trump’s attack on the UN General Assembly
Trump said that the United Nations had failed to support US policy abroad and wasted resources in the migration issue.
He said that the UN was “only offering empty words”, and that it funded illegal immigration rather than curbing them.
He also emphasized domestic accomplishments, noting lower inflation, wage growth and framing protectionist trade as crucial to protecting US industry.
The content of this post Weekly Wrap: TikTok, Pharma Tariffs, Crypto Crash and Nvidia OpenAI Deal may change as new developments unfold.
