United States stock futures moved lower in overnight trade on Monday (Tuesday AEST) after President Donald Trump revealed new levies on imports from 14 countries while extending the implementation deadline to 1 August.
By 9:15 am AEST (11:15 pm GMT), futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.3%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures each declined by 0.2%.
The drop in futures followed a turbulent session on Wall Street, where major indices closed lower amid heightened trade tensions.
The Dow and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.9% apiece, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8%, as investors reacted to a rapid sequence of trade-related announcements from the White House.
Late Monday afternoon, Trump shared additional signed letters on Truth Social, increasing the total number of countries subject to the new tariff regime to 14.
The action targets nations accused of unfair trade practices and will see elevated tariffs on their exports to the U.S. starting in August.
The president also signed an executive order officially postponing the tariff start date to 1 August, pushing it back from the originally anticipated deadline of Wednesday.
Trump further warned of an additional 10% tariff on countries that align themselves with the "anti-American policies” of the BRICS bloc - comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Despite the flurry of protectionist developments, market participants remain hopeful that the upcoming earnings season will help counterbalance trade-related volatility.
