US Markets Slide Again On Tariff News

US President Donald Trump's shock decision ending a trade truce with China sent US stocks lower on Friday, with two major indices posting their biggest weekly losses of the year.

All three major Wall Street indices fell to their lowest levels since late June, with investors still disappointed by the escalating trade conflict, new tariffs and this week's fuzzy signals on monetary policy from the Federal Reserve.

The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 per cent on the day to 26,485, losing 2.6 per cent for the week.

The broader S&P 500 fell 0.7 to 2,932 and the tech heavy Nasdaq lost 1.3 per cent, closing at 8,004. It was the worst week since December 2018 for the two indices which lost 3.1 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively.

Trump on Thursday stunned financial markets by ending by announcing fresh punitive duties on US$300 billion in Chinese imports – meaning nearly all goods from China will be subject to tariffs as of September 1.

This came a day after the Fed shook markets, announcing a smaller-than-hoped-for cut in interest rates and offering conflicting hints as to whether the central bank is likely to cut again. (AFP)