US equity-index futures dipped and the dollar strengthened after President Donald Trump said he plans to impose “blanket tariffs” on most trading partners.
Contracts for the S&P 500, which gained early in Asian trading, dipped 0.2% after Trump said he plans to impose ‘blanket’ tariffs of 15% or 20%. A gauge of the dollar edged up 0.1%. Asian equities pared their earlier gains. The Canadian dollar weakened after Trump said he will impose 35% on goods on the country.
Stocks advanced Thursday in a sign investors are shifting their focus from concerns about lower growth and higher inflation from tariffs to instead prepare for corporate earnings season, which starts in a few days.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong authorities intervened for the fourth time in two weeks to prevent the city’s currency from weakening beyond its official trading band.
In Asian corporate news, Nissan Motor Co. raised $4.5 billion from a junk-bond sale in US dollar and euros. The embattled automaker is offering a record-high coupon on at least one part of the deal to drum up demand.
Elsewhere, JPMorgan Chase & Co. is considering cutting the weight of bond issuers in its emerging-market index — including China and India — as it seeks to reflect a broader range of developing-nation debt.
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