Stock Futures Fall as Tariff Turmoil Continues Ahead of Jobs Data
Stock futures were sliding Thursday as the market struggled to make sense of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies ahead of jobs numbers that could help determine how many times the Federal Reserve is able to cut interest rates in 2025.
The three blue-chip U.S. indexes staged a comeback Wednesday after the White House gave car makers a one-month reprieve from tariffs. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump might be open to granting more exemptions, boosting investors’ hope that he could scale back some of the levies he’s promised to impose on other sectors.
“Ultimately a more positive narrative emerged…The delay added to hopes that the US administration may limit the most economically disruptive tariffs and the White House Press Secretary said that Trump “is open to hearing about other exemptions,” Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid wrote.