What Happened?

Shares of networking chips designer Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL) fell 7.9% in the afternoon session after stocks pulled back (Nasdaq -1.5%, S&P 500 -1.2%) amid fresh concerns about trade tariffs. The pullback followed comments from President Trump clarifying the scope of his administration's 25% tariffs on Venezuela. He noted that it would apply to any country that does business with Venezuela. For example, 25% is on top of the already-in-place 20% tariff on China because China imports oil from Venezuela, which could translate to a 45% tariff on some Chinese goods. This announcement could significantly raise the operating costs for affected companies and institutions.

Adding to the market unease, the President announced plans for new tariffs on auto imports before the planned "reciprocal" tariffs on April 2, 2025.

There were also reports that the U.S. had added more Chinese companies to its trade blacklist, citing national security concerns. As a result, these companies would now need government approval to purchase American technology. Among those affected were tech firms that depended heavily on advanced chips made by U.S. manufacturers, raising concerns about the US chip makers' ability to maintain strong sales in the Chinese market.

The shares closed the day at $66.76, down 6.9% from previous close.

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What The Market Is Telling Us

Marvell Technology’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 31 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 23 days ago when the stock dropped 5.9% on the news that the major indices tumbled after the Trump administration confirmed that the planned 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, two of the largest trading partners of the United States, would proceed as planned. The news added to the market's growing unease, which had been building since the start of 2025.

For Wall Street analysts, investors, and businesses, the announcement underscored the urgent need to plan ahead and factor the potential downside of the tariffs into their financial forecasts. Key concerns included rising production costs, which are often passed on to consumers, and the risk of inflation, further heightening economic uncertainty.