(NEW YORK) — Stock markets struggled into Wednesday morning as it became clear that President Donald Trump intended to announce a slew of tariffs on America’s trading partners, with the White House preparing to mark what it is calling “Liberation Day.”
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ both posted their first quarterly losses since 2022 this week as investors prepared for the new measures and economists warned of the possibility of a recession — with major potential knock-on effects for other economies around the globe.
The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and NASDAQ futures were all slipping on Wednesday morning, with Dow Jones futures down by about 100 points.
Trump is set to make his tariff announcement in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday after the stock market closes.
Abroad, the British FTSE 100 index dropped by more than 0.6% on Wednesday morning, with Germany’s DAX index down by 1.2%. The French CAC 40 index was down more than 0.5%.
Japan’s Nikkei index rose nearly 0.3%, but South Korea’s KOSPI index dropped by more than 0.6%.
On Tuesday, the Dow Jones ended at 41,989.96 down 0.03%. The S&P 500 ended at 5,633.07 up 0.38% and the NASDAQ ended at 17,449.89 up 0.87%.
Automakers and pharmaceutical companies have reportedly been lobbying the Trump administration for carve outs and a phase-in approach for the promised tariffs.
World leaders have threatened a response while pressing the White House for clarity.
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