Dow tumbles more than 700 points on trade war fears

U.S. stocks tumbled the most in six weeks and Treasurys rallied as investors shifted focus from the Fed to the threat of an escalating trade war with China that has the potential to disrupt global growth.

The benchmark S&P 500 slumped the most since early February and the Dow lost more than 700 points after President Trump ordered tariffs on about $50 billion in Chinese goods. The 10-year Treasury yield slid toward 2.8% and gold advanced with the yen as investors sought safe havens. The dollar rebounded.

The Dow lost more than 700 points after President Trump ordered tariffs on about $50 billion in Chinese goods.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, March 5, 2018. U.S. stocks turned higher and Treasuries erased gains as investors speculated that President Donald Trump's tough tariff talk won't translate into the most severe protectionist policies. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

“The market doesn’t like trade wars, the market doesn’t like that the Fed is adamant about raising rates,” said Matt Schreiber, president and chief investment strategist at WBI Investments. “Yes the economy has been pretty strong, the labor market has less slack, but there’s nothing to really get fired up about and try to normalize rates to a level way above where we are.”

The threat that a tit-for-tat trade spat with China will erupt and hamper global growth has investors on edge a day after the Fed sought to reassure markets that it’s in no hurry to raise rates even as it lifted growth projections for the world’s largest economy. Trump’s first trade action directly aimed at China would come as policy makers including IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warn of a global trade conflict that could undermine the broadest world recovery in years.

FP_032118_cover

While outpacing the S&P 500, the price tag is higher — the average expense ratio is more than 1%.

1 Min Read

Stocks were also hit when John Dowd resigned as Trump’s lead attorney countering Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe as the inquiry into possible collusion in the 2016 election intensifies.

Facebook helped pace a decline in the tech sector, falling as much as 2.5% before paring losses. This week’s selloff in tech stocks is on pace to be the worst since early February.

Bloomberg News
Equity market Equities Stocks Interest rates Treasurys Donald Trump Federal Reserve
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING