Stock market today: World shares mostly retreat on jitters over the
outlook for tariffs
[March 21, 2025] By
JIANG JUNZHE
HONG KONG (AP) — World markets retreated Friday after a lackluster
session on Wall Street as investors remained uneasy over policies of
U.S. President Donald Trump.
The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were
0.4% lower.
In European trading, Germany's DAX slipped 0.7% to 22,848.55 ahead of a
vote by Germany lawmakers on a budget that will boost defense and
infrastructure spending. France's CAC 40 lost 0.6% to 8,046.61.
Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.4% to 8,663.60 after the Bank of England held
its main interest rate steady a day earlier. The Federal Reserve, Bank
of Japan and China's central bank all kept their rates on hold, keeping
their options open while waiting to see what the coming weeks will bring
in Trump's trade war and other policies.
In Asian trading, Chinese markets declined again, with the Hang Seng in
Hong Kong tumbling 2.2% to 23,689.72 after China kept its key lending
rates unchanged. Traders have been unloading technology shares following
recent gains.
The Shanghai Composite index lost 1.3% to 3,364.83.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 closed 0.2% lower to 37,677.06 as the markets
reopened after a holiday on Thursday. Japan reported its core inflation
rate fell less than forecast, partly boosted by a surge in rice prices
due to a shortage of supplies.
South Korea's Kospi picked up 0.2% to 2,643.13, while Australia's S&P/ASX
200 rose by 0.2%, closing at 7,931.20. In Taiwan, the Taiex lost 0.8%.
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Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite
Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate
between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange
dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South
Korea, Friday, March 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 On Thursday, the S&P 500 slipped
0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped less than 0.1%.
The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%.
Wall Street has been on a weeks-long roller-coaster ride, as stock
prices gyrate on uncertainty about what Trump’s trade war will do to
the economy. Stocks got a boost Wednesday after the head of the
Federal Reserve said the economy remains solid enough at the moment
to leave interest rates where they are.
More data arrived Thursday to support that view. One report said
slightly fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last
week than economists expected.
A separate report said sales of previously occupied homes were
stronger last month than economists expected, while a third said
manufacturing growth in the mid-Atlantic region appears to be better
than economists expected.
In other dealings early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 8
cents to $68.15 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York
Mercantile Exchange.
Brent crude, the international standard, added 6 cents to $72.06 per
barrel.
The U.S. dollar rose to 149.44 Japanese yen from 148.78 yen late
Thursday. The euro fell to $1.0838 from $1.0854.
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