European and US stocks slid yesterday after President Donald Trump suggested he could shut down the US government if Congress did not fund building a Mexico border wall and threatened to pull out of a major trade agreement.
Investors also looked ahead to a meeting of central bankers that begins today for insights on monetary policy.
Stocks had staged a solid rally on Tuesday, in part reflecting optimism that Trump-related controversies were receding and that long-awaited tax overhauls could take centre stage.
But in a speech late in the day Trump vowed to build the border wall even “if we have to close down our government” and to pull out of the Nafta trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
But market analyst Jasper Lawler at London Capital Group downplayed the risk of a shutdown.
“We think this is basically a bluff by Trump to get his ‘Great Wall’ back on the agenda and show some political rebellion following his foreign policy capitulation in Afghanistan,” he said in a note to clients.
Investors were also looking ahead to getting fresh clues from US Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen about plans to reduce its huge bond holdings, and from ECB chief Mario Draghi about its cutting back of bond purchases.
“Equity markets in Europe are marginally lower on the day as traders are in wait-and-see mode ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium that starts tomorrow,” where both Yellen and Draghi are scheduled to speak, said CMC markets UK analyst David Madden.
Paris shed 0.3% at 5,115.39 and Frankfurt lost 0.5% at 12,174.30, while London bucked the trend to end the day flat at 7,382.65 points yesterday.
The Dow was down 0.2% nearing midday.
“US stocks are lower in early action following yesterday’s solid advance, with global trade concerns and tomorrow’s looming speeches from Fed Chair Yellen and ECB President Draghi likely keeping conviction in check,” said analysts at Charles Schwab.
The euro gained against the dollar following well-received eurozone data, analysts said.
“Manufacturing and services PMIs from the eurozone, Germany and France were all very strong and well above the level that separates growth from contraction, suggesting that the recovery is continuing to gain traction,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda trading group.
In London, British advertising giant WPP saw its shares slump nearly 11% after the company cut its full-year revenue forecast.
“WPP is very much seen as the bellwether of the advertising industry and as such is widely regarded as a global economic barometer and so it is unsurprising the shares have reacted,” Graham Spooner, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said in a note to clients.
A company plaque is cleaned outside the offices of WPP in London. The British advertising giant has downgraded its growth forecast for 2017 because of a slowdown in the market, causing a fall of over 10% in the company’s stock price yesterday.
