14:12, 22-Mar-2018
Global Market: Stocks down over uncertainties on trade
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Now for a look at global markets. The dollar tumbled Wednesday after the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates by 0.25 of a percentage point but suggested it would not speed up the pace of additional hikes in 2018.
US stocks initially rallied on the Fed announcement but pulled back as Fed Chair Powell was asked repeatedly about risks to the economic outlook at a news conference, including a possible trade war between the US and China.
Meanwhile, concerns over further trade tariffs left world stocks flat, as investors tried to balance out the effects of low inflation and higher trading costs.
A pan-European equity index was off 0.2 percent after a report from Wall Street on China tariffs. Analysts say the tech sell-off was a serious setback to markets just as they recovered from an early-February selloff.
Fears of a trade war have also weighed on commodity prices, though tensions in the Middle East supported oil.