World shares are slumping again on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff hikes took effect and he threatened to add still more. China announced countermeasures, saying it will raise its retaliatory tariff on the U.S. to 84%, up from 34%, effective April 10.
Where the markets stand:
Asia: Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 3.9% lower, at 31,714.03. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.7%, while the Shanghai Composite index closed 1.3% higher. Thailand’s benchmark also rose, apparently due to speculation that Beijing might be preparing to hold talks with the Trump administration.
U.S. futures: The unconfirmed rumors about possible U.S.-China negotiations helped push the future for the S&P 500 up 0.3%, while that for the Dow was unchanged.
Europe: In early trading, Germany’s DAX slipped 2.5% to 19,762.13; the CAC in Paris 40 declined 2.6% to 6,917.13; and Britain’s FTSE 100 gave up 2.6% to 7,704.82.
China has raised tariffs on American goods to 84% to match Trump’s addition of a 50% tariff, while adding an array of additional countermeasures Wednesday.
The 84% tariff will go into effect Thursday, and comes as a 104% tax on the country’s exports to the U.S. came into effect.
“If the U.S. insists on further escalating its economic and trade restrictions, China has the firm will and abundant means to take necessary countermeasures and fight to the end” the Ministry of Commerce wrote in a statement introducing the white paper.
The government declined to say whether it would negotiate with the White House, as many other countries have started doing.