London (AFP) – Stock markets slid Tuesday as China, Mexico, and Canada hit back at US tariffs, and fears grew that Europe could be President Donald Trump’s next target in the growing global trade war. Wall Street retreated further at the open following steep losses the previous day, while European stock markets fell sharply in afternoon deals.
“Investors don’t like tariffs, and they are deeply uncomfortable with President Trump’s new world order, which is weighing on market sentiment,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB trading platform. US tariffs of 25 percent for Canadian and Mexican goods came into effect on Tuesday, along with the doubling of levies on Chinese imports to 20 percent. The three countries announced retaliatory moves.
“The US administration is continuing to cause even more global upheaval and overnight by far the broadest set of tariffs yet has come into effect,” said Deutsche Bank analyst Jim Reid. Reid added, however, that “there is still some market doubt as to whether all these tariffs will persist for a prolonged period of time.” The European Union warned that the tariffs on Canada and Mexico risk “disrupting global trade,” urging Washington to reverse course.
“These tariffs threaten deeply integrated supply chains, investment flows, and economic stability across the Atlantic,” said EU trade spokesman Olof Gill. Amid fears that the EU will be the next target, French Economy Minister Eric Lombard insisted that the bloc would be tough in negotiations. “We have negotiators who are playing hardball, we will play hardball but…we need to reach a balanced deal to protect our economies,” Lombard said.
– China congress and eurozone rates –
Bitcoin dropped below $83,000, and the dollar came under pressure. Oil prices dropped after OPEC+ on Monday confirmed plans to hike output from next month. Traders have their eyes on other major economic events this week.
Investors hope China will announce a huge economic stimulus package at its annual parliamentary meeting, the National People’s Congress. On Thursday, the European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates again to try to boost a floundering eurozone economy. The key scheduled economic event Friday will be US jobs data.
– Key figures around 1435 GMT –
New York – Dow: DOWN 0.9 percent at 42,790.20 points
New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.9 percent at 5,799.25
New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 1.0 percent at 18,171.97
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 1.0 percent at 8,786.19
Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 1.9 percent at 8,046.82
Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 2.8 percent at 22,488.93
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 37,331.18 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.3 percent at 22,941.77 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,324.21 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at 1.0527 from $1.0419 on Monday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2715 from $1.2612
Dollar/yen: DOWN 148.60 from 150.28 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 82.81 pence from 82.62 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.0 percent at $67.66 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.5 percent at $70.55 per barrel
© 2024 AFP
