New U.S. tariff threat on Chinese goods hits stocks, dollar

A gauge of global equity markets eased and the dollar slipped on Monday as an expected new round of tariffs from Washington on Chinese goods made investors skittish about an escalation of a U.S.-Sino dispute over trade.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would announce his latest plan on Chinese commerce after markets closed. He was expected to level tariffs on about $200 billion of Chinese imports, and China has said it would retaliate.

A weaker dollar lifted gold prices and the price of most industrial metals slipped as the tit-for-tat dispute has fuelled concerns that demand for metals will weaken.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 1.4 percent, or almost triple the decline of the broad market S&P 500 index.

Apple and Amazon.com bore the brunt of investor worries about the tariffs, which were on a list unveiled in July that included $200 billion worth of internet technology products, other electronics, printed circuit boards and consumer goods.

"Investors are slowly starting to realize that these new tariffs could be extremely disruptive to the supply chain," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley FBR in New York.

The trade tiff has yet to be felt in U.S. markets as the tariffs, which now are set at 3.8 percent, may rise to just 10 percent, which most companies can handle in a growing economy, said Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at Nuveen.

MSCI`s gauge of stocks across the globe <.miwd00000pus> shed 0.37 percent while the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index <.fteu3> of leading regional shares closed up 0.07 percent.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <.dji> fell 92.55 points, or 0.35 percent, to 26,062.12. The S&P 500 <.spx> lost 16.18 points, or 0.56 percent, to 2,888.8 and the Nasdaq Composite <.ixic> dropped 114.25 points, or 1.43 percent, to 7,895.79.

The dollar`s weakening is a good sign for global markets, especially in emerging markets where the strong dollar has been a cause for concern, Nuveen`s Nick said.

The greenback has benefited from safe-haven flows as the U.S.-Chinese trade conflict worsened.

The euro and sterling also advanced against the dollar on optimism that Britain would reach a deal with the European Union on the terms of its departure from the bloc.

Talks between the EU and Britain on Brexit are being conducted in a spirit of "good cooperation", said Michel Barnier, the EU`s chief negotiator on the issue.

The dollar index <.dxy> fell 0.46 percent and the euro rose 0.48 percent to $1.1684. The Japanese yen strengthened 0.24 percent versus the greenback at 111.78 per dollar.

U.S. Treasury yields rose across the board on growing expectations the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates in September and December, and perhaps at least twice more in 2019.

Yields on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note touched 3.022 percent, the highest level since late May. U.S. 30-year yields also hit a four-month peak of 3.159 percent, while 2-year yields soared to 2.799 percent, the strongest level in 10 years.

The benchmark U.S. 10-year note last fell 1/32 in price to yield 2.9977 percent.

Yields on 10-year German bunds rose to 0.472 percent, but pared losses to trade at 0.458 percent.

Oil prices edged lower on concerns over how the U.S.-Sino trade dispute may dent global crude demand, but losses were limited as the market weighed potential supply tightening due to Iran sanctions.

Brent crude futures fell 4 cents to settle at $78.05 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 8 cents to $68.91 a barrel.

U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled up $4.70 at $1,205.80 per ounce.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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