US Stock Markets Plunge on Trump Tariff Hikes and Trade War Fears cover art

US Stock Markets Plunge on Trump Tariff Hikes and Trade War Fears

US Stock Markets Plunge on Trump Tariff Hikes and Trade War Fears

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

 US stock markets opened sharply lower today amid escalating trade uncertainty, as President Trump hiked tariffs to 15 percent on imports following a Supreme Court ruling limiting his prior authority, prompting fears of retaliation from the European Union. Bloomberg Television reports pre-market S&P 500 futures down 0.25 to 0.3 percent, NASDAQ 100 futures down 0.4 percent, and Russell 2000 futures down 0.5 percent, with intraday drops exceeding 1 percent across major indexes by late morning according to MarketPulse. Friday's close saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.5 percent or 230.81 points to 49,625.97 United States dollars, S&P 500 up 0.7 percent to 6,909.51, and NASDAQ Composite up 0.9 percent to 22,886.07, building weekly gains of 0.25 percent, 1.08 percent, and 1.51 percent respectively per Nasdaq reports.

Key drivers include tariff hikes overriding last week's court setback, slowing business activity from flash PMI surveys hit by weather and affordability woes as noted by S&P Global, and a broad selloff hitting tech like Microsoft, Amazon, and Tesla while healthcare and communications held firmer. Novo Nordisk American Depositary Receipts plunged 15 percent on demand slowdowns, per Bloomberg. Sectors saw consumer discretionary and financials lead Friday but energy declined 0.7 percent.

Actively traded names like those faced pressure, with Dow breaching its 50-day moving average near 49,080 United States dollars. Economic releases showed fourth-quarter 2025 gross domestic product growth at a soft 1.4 percent annual rate due to government shutdown and consumer pullback, per Los Angeles Times and NACS citing Commerce Department data.

Pre-market futures signal continued caution. Watch tomorrow's consumer confidence, wholesale trade sales, and Federal Reserve speeches, plus State of the Union address, Home Depot earnings, and Nvidia results. Federal Reserve Governor Waller eyes February jobs and inflation data ahead of March meeting.

Thank you listeners for tuning in, and please subscribe. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

For great deals check out https://amzn.to/403yeYo

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.