World stocks were set for a second day of losses on Friday after an exodus of US executives from presidential business councils dealt a fresh blow to hopes of tax reform and deadly attacks in Barcelona hit shares in European tourism firms. Investors fled into German and US Treasury bonds and bought gold for the third day in a row, as US policy uncertainty and fears of more attacks boosted the appeal of such top-notch assets. US equity markets appeared poised for a broadly weaker open, futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes showed, though futures on the Nasdaq tech benchmark were up 0.13%. Markets have been dismayed by US President Donald Trump’s latest controversial comments on violence that flared in Charlottesville, Virginia, after a white nationalist protest. Several business leaders have since resigned from his advisory councils and a White House official said plans for a council on infrastructure had been dropped. These developments have dashed hopes for tax cuts and inf...
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