As US Tariff Uncertainty Weighs, Global Stocks Drop – Europe Market Wrap

Global equities fell as investors sought more clarification on US tariff plans and the economic outlook ahead of Trump’s April 2nd deadline to slap new trade tariffs.

Europe’s Stoxx 600 index fell 0.5%, while futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 were down roughly 0.2%, following small advances on Tuesday. Tesla and Nvidia’s shares fell in premarket trade. GameStop gained 12% after announcing that its board authorised Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset.

In Britain, the FTSE 250 index of mid-sized equities rose around 0.5% as data showing an unexpected inflation slowdown bolstered the case for the BoE to lower interest rates.

In currency markets, the Pound was the main mover, falling as much as 0.4% against the Dollar following the inflation report, while rate-sensitive 2-year bond rates fell nearly 6 bps. Next up for UK investors is Chancellor Reeves’ spring economic statement, which is coming later today. Most analysts expect her to cut government spending by billions of Pounds.