World shares fall for a fifth day in anticipation of trade-war escalation
European stocks open lower, with Japan, Australia, China and Hong Kong indices also slightly down; emerging markets continue to worry investors
London — World shares fell for a fifth straight day on Thursday as investors braced for another escalation in a trade war between the US and China, while emerging-market currencies paused near 15-month lows. The MSCI All-Country World Index, which tracks shares in 47 countries, was down 0.2%. Stocks in Europe opened lower, with the pan-European STOXX 600 index down as much as 0.4%. The main worry for investors is the end of a public consultation period on Thursday for US President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on an additional $200bn worth of Chinese goods. Trump said on Wednesday that trade talks with China would continue but the US was not yet ready to come to an agreement. "Unlike the last few days, where there has at least been a wave of purchasing manager indices to deal with, Thursday has little in the way of distraction for the European markets, meaning investors are just going to have to sit and stew in this particularly unpleasant trading broth," said Connor Campbel...
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