BANGKOK (AP) — Shares retreated Friday in Europe and Asia, with benchmarks in Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea tumbling over 2% as U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada and double tariffs on Chinese products to 20% left investors reeling. Germany’s DAX fell 0.4%, while the CAC 40 in Paris dropped 0.4%. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged 0.1% lower. U.S. futures gained, with contracts for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.3%. In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 2.9%, pulled lower by plunging tech shares. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 3.3%, while the Shanghai Composite index fell 2%. South Korea’s Kospi gave up 3.4%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.2%. On Thursday, the S&P 500 sank 1.6%, the Dow dropped 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.8%. Nvidia, a key market influencer, lost 8.5% despite a better-than-expected profit report. Concerns about tariffs have left U.S. households nervous about the economy, pressuring the Federal Reserve amid slowing growth and rising inflation. The U.S. economy appears solid for now, though a separate report showed more workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. In early Friday trading, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 70 cents to $69.65 per barrel, while Brent crude fell 66 cents to $72.91 per barrel. The U.S. dollar rose to 150.44 Japanese yen, and the euro rose slightly to $1.0402. — news from The Associated Press
