Markets slide as Trump’s tariff war escalates

US shares have fallen after US President Donald Trump’s decision to move forward with tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, and pledge that tariffs on the EU would “definitely happen”, sparked a global sell-off.

The three major indexes in the US were all down more than 1% in the first moments of trade in New York, with the Nasdaq index off roughly 2%.

It followed downturns in Asia and Europe, where the German and French stock markets fell more than 1.5%, with shares in carmakers among the worst hit. In London, the FTSE 100 dropped about 1.4%.

Investors are bracing for a turbulent period that could hit the earnings of major companies and dent global growth.

The US dollar strengthened on the currency markets amid the uncertainty, rising to a record high against China’s yuan, while the Canadian dollar plunged to its lowest level since 2003.

“Investors are rattled at the prospects of a full-blown trade war breaking out,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Trump ordered tariffs of 25% on exports from Canada and Mexico to the US. Chinese-made goods will face a 10% levy, in addition to existing tariffs.

The moves, which Trump has tied to concerns about the flow of illegal drugs and migrants, into the US, target the United States’ three largest trading partners and are expected to lead to major disruption in some of the world’s biggest economies.

Canada and Mexico have said they will hit back with retaliatory tariffs while China promised “corresponding countermeasures” and vowed to challenge Trump’s move at the World Trade Organization.

Many are bracing for wider tensions, after Trump said on Sunday that he would “definitely” impose tariffs on the EU, although he said while the UK was “out of line”, a deal could be worked out.

Trump has said he will speak to Canada and Mexico’s leaders on Monday about the tariffs, which are due to come into effect at midnight on Tuesday.

On the Dow, which tracks 30 high-profile companies meant to be representative of the economy, Nike and Apple, which both rely on China for manufacturing, were among the hardest hit, falling about 3%.

Elsewhere, carmakers such as Tesla and General Motors also saw share prices drop.

In Japan, Toyota shares fell 5% and Honda sank 7.2%, while in Europe shares in Stellantis – whose brands include Chrysler, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep and Peugeot – were down 7% and VW dropped roughly 6%.

Shares in drinks maker Diageo – which exports tequila from Mexico to the US – fell 3.8%.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said there was a “sea of red flashing on the markets”.

Tariffs could lead to “higher inflation and put a stop to further interest rate cuts for the time being – exactly the opposite of what equity investors want to happen”, he added.

“Higher prices could hurt demand, and there might be a trickle-down effect that knocks business and consumer confidence and feeds into weaker economic activity.”

The prospect of interest rates staying higher for longer helped to strengthen the dollar.

As well as the dollar rising against China’s yuan and the Canadian dollar, the euro fell to more than a two-year low against the US currency.

Oil prices also rose following news of the tariffs, as traders tried to analyse how tariffs on Canada and Mexico – the two biggest sources of oil imports to the US – would affect the market.

Chief investment strategist at investment bank Saxo, Charu Chanana, warned that while tariffs could be beneficial for the US economy in the short term, in the long run they pose significant risks.

“Repeated use of tariffs would incentivise other countries to reduce reliance on the US, weakening the dollar’s global role,” she added.