Global stocks fall on North Korea, new Trump trade worries

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AFP, New York :
Global stocks slid on Thursday, with persistent global trade worries compounded when Washington suddenly canceled a nuclear summit with North Korea.
Wall Street started the day in the red because after the US late Wednesday announced it would investigate auto imports on national security grounds, a move that could lead to yet more steep tariffs.
The Dow and S&P 500 rebounded off earlier lows but still finished down 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively, while the Nasdaq was flat.
While share prices in Frankfurt and Paris started out higher on bargain-hunting, they also ended the day in negative territory, pulled down by a weaker showing in New York.
London ended the session 0.9 percent lower, Paris slipped by 0.3 percent and Frankfurt shed 0.9 percent.
In a letter released by the White House, Trump informed Kim Jong Un he was cancelling their summit next month in Singapore, blaming North Korea’s “anger” and “hostility” for the spectacular collapse of the historic event.
“There are two cases on which the market is really focused. It’s trade negotiations and the geopolitical situation with North Korea,” Tom Cahill of Ventura Wealth Management told AFP.
“Donald Trump just backed down on both.”
After suffering an initial shock, US stocks recovered much of their losses. But Cahill said each day’s lot of worrisome trade headlines could have a cumulative effect on the market.
“These conflicts are not dramatic one by one,” he said. “But their accumulation will eventually undermine business confidence and growth.”
Trump’s war on autos meant the DAX led the losses across Europe with BMW, Daimler and VW all down in excess of two percent, analysts said.
Trading was “rather muted… as traders digest the overall impact of a host of geopolitical events, including revival of US-China trade tensions, aggressive North Korea rhetoric and President Trump taking a swipe at auto equipment makers,” said Accendo Markets analyst, Artjom Hatsaturjants.

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