The Czech government lowered its forecast for economic growth because it anticipated that companies would reduce investment due to the risks associated with U.S. tariffs.

The Finance Ministry now projects a 2% GDP increase in 2025, down from the earlier 2.3% estimate. Officials noted that weak exports are slowing overall growth, while household spending remains the main driver of expansion.

Finance ministry warns Trump’s tariffs could further slow Czech economy to 1.6%

The updated forecast accounts for the impact of previous U.S. tariffs on EU automobile, steel, and aluminum exports but does not factor in President Donald Trump’s more recently announced and subsequently suspended tariffs.

A chief economist of the Finance Ministry, David Prusvic, predicted that the uncertain status of international trade will negatively impact corporate spending plans in one of Europe’s most export-dependent economies.

Furthermore, in line with reports from sources, Prusvic clarified that their companies’ investment strategies were based on domestic and international economic trends, especially those in the euro area.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s primary industries are auto parts and automobile manufacturing, with exports to the EU accounting for around 80% of the nation’s GDP.

However, investors are worried about the fate of Trump’s recent tariffs. The Finance Ministry’s recent findings make the situation even worse. According to the ministry, Czech economic growth could drop further to around 1.6% this year if those tariffs are implemented.

As Central Europe started calculating the probable costs of a trade war, leaders in the Czech Republic and Poland indicated that they were prepared to retaliate against new U.S. tariffs on April 3, while Hungary, a country in Europe, accused Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, of causing tensions with Washington.

Furthermore, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, called the U.S. President Donald Trump’s universal tariffs a serious setback to the global economy and stated that the 27-member bloc was ready to retaliate with countermeasures if negotiations with Washington broke down.

This came after Trump’s remarks caused Central Europe’s stock markets and currencies to drop sharply. The Czech crown was hardest hit as it dropped past the crucial 25 per euro mark in early trading before reducing its losses gradually by making adjustments to minimize the negative impact of the situation. 

In response, on the social media X platform, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala posted that having no tariffs was the best option. However, the two parties needed to be willing to agree. He highlighted that Europe was ready to engage in dialogue with the United States, but at the same time, it was prepared to respond clearly.

Even though Poland was less vulnerable to risk because of its sizable domestic market and decreased reliance on auto exports, Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, declared that the U.S. decision would slow economic growth and that appropriate decisions on reciprocal tariffs were required. 

Tusk elaborated on his X account that a preliminary assessment estimated that new U.S. tariffs might decrease Polish GDP by 0.4%. Even under conservative projections, losses are expected to surpass 10 billion zlotys (approximately $2.63 billion).

Trump’s tariffs have disproportionately impacted the automotive sector, undermining growth in countries that support the industry

Around 20% to 30% of Central Europe’s exports—largely automobiles—go to Germany, highlighting the region’s deep ties to car manufacturing. According to S&P Global, the new U.S. trade measures threaten to further dampen growth prospects across Central Europe.

Last month, the Czech Automotive Industry Association said that its export-oriented auto industry might still suffer despite the Czech Republic having relatively little direct exposure to United States sales.

The Czech Automotive Industry said in a statement that the tariff increase announced would “massively” affect many Czech parts and services suppliers, especially those that supply customers in Germany. This would result in a major loss of orders and fewer export opportunities.

Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot

Bitcoin’s price crash from $97,000 in late February surprised most crypto market participants but not this analyst. The crypto analyst known as Doctor Profit, who previously warned of a correction when Bitcoin was approaching $97,000, recently released a new technical outlook that dissuades a bullish trajectory in the short term.

In a breakdown shared on the social media platform X, Doctor Profit noted that the breakdown isn’t complete yet. This outlook comes from a former detailed analysis in which the analyst highlighted various Bitcoin price movements to watch out for, all of which have come to pass.

Doctor Profit Says Bitcoin Market Dump Is Just Beginning

Bitcoin has experienced ups and downs in the past few days with incredibly volatile movements. These ups and downs saw the Bitcoin price fall below $75,000 at the beginning of the week before spending the past four days on a recovery path towards $80,000. Amidst the price volatility, crypto analyst Doctor Profit clarified that he expects the current downward move in Bitcoin’s price to extend further.

In a recent post on social media platform X, the analyst described the correction as a “market massacre” that is expected to continue, stating that the party just started. He revealed that he had placed his first buy orders within the $58,000 to $68,000 range, suggesting that the Bitcoin price would keep falling until it reaches this region.

Rather than seeing the recent decline as a setback, the price action is a calculated part of the broader strategy which the analyst laid out in an earlier detailed analysis.  

Doctor Profit’s analysis is based on the M2 money supply, a macroeconomic metric he believes is widely misunderstood within the crypto space. Many traders have recently cited the uptick in M2 as a bullish signal for Bitcoin, assuming that more liquidity means an immediate surge in prices. However, the analyst stressed that timing is everything. He noted that Bitcoin tends to front-run traditional markets when responding to M2 increases, but even then, the reaction is not instantaneous.

What To Expect With BTC

He reminds his followers that in July 2024, he predicted a 50bps rate cut, which was considered highly unlikely at the time. Once that cut materialized in September, around the same time Bitcoin was hovering near $50,000, he labeled it extremely bullish and called for a major rally. As it turned out, the M2 money supply began expanding in February 2025, which aligned with his forecast. Yet, he cautions that while M2 is now climbing, its effect on Bitcoin will play out gradually.

Looking at Bitcoin’s price behavior on the charts, Doctor Profit shifted his focus to the $70,000 to $74,000 range. He believes this range could either serve as a springboard for a fresh upward rally if a strong daily close occurs above the “Golden Line” around the weekly EMA50 or as a signal for a deeper downside if the price breaks beneath it. 

Should a more dramatic breakdown occur, the analyst advised scaling back and waiting for even lower entries around the $50,000 to $60,000 zone. Doctor Profit predicted that the bull run will not resume until sometime around May or June, with upside targets of $120,000 to $140,000.

Bitcoin has managed to push above $81,000 after Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on his ground-breaking tarriffs. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $82,000, up by 7% in the past 24 hours.