World stock markets slumped on Tuesday, June 19, after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated a dispute with Beijing over technology policy by threatening a tariff hike on an additional $200 billion of Chinese goods.
In early trading, Germany’s DAX plunged 1.8 percent to 12,606.14 and France’s CAC 40 fell 1.4 percent to 5,372.20. London’s FTSE 100 lost 0.8 percent to 7,565.81. On Monday, the DAX retreated 1.4 percent and the CAC 40 shed 0.9 percent while the FTSE 100 lost less than 0.1 percent.
Wall Street looked poised for losses, with the future for the Dow Jones industrial average off 1.6 percent and that for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index off 1.3 percent.
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 3.8 percent to 2,907.82 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 2.8 percent to 29,468.15.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 retreated 1.8 percent to 22,278.48 and Seoul’s Kospi gave up 1.5 percent to 2,340.11. India’s Sensex shed 0.6 percent to 35,331.28 and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 declined 0.6 percent to 6,102.10. Benchmarks in Taiwan, New Zealand and Southeast Asia all declined.
Trump directed the U.S. Trade Representative to prepare new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports, stepping up a dispute companies and investors worry could drag down global trade and economic growth. Trump accused Beijing of being unwilling to resolve the dispute over complaints it steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.
China’s Commerce Ministry criticized the White House action as blackmail and said Beijing was ready to retaliate.
U.S. stocks finished mixed in trading that ended before Trump issued his tariff threat. Household goods companies took some of the worst losses as the S&P 500 fell for the third time in four days. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent, while the Dow lost 0.4 percent.
The Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks rose 0.5 percent. Many investors feel smaller and more U.S.-focused companies are less vulnerable in the event of a major trade dispute, WashingtonPost reports.
