A gauge of global equity markets eased and the dollar slipped on Monday as investors took a dim view of an expected new round of tariffs from Washington on Chinese goods, which would escalate a simmering U.S.-Sino dispute over trade.
U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods as early as Monday, and China has said it would retaliate.
A weaker dollar lifted gold prices and the price of most industrial metals slipped as the tit-for-tat dispute has fueled concerns that demand for metals will weaken.
Apple and Amazon.com bore the brunt of investor worries about the tariffs, which were on a list unveiled in July that included $200 billion worth of internet technology products, other electronics, printed circuit boards and consumer goods.
“Investors are slowly starting to realize that these new tariffs could be extremely disruptive to the supply chain,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley FBR in New York.
via Reuters
