Market Brief, North America

Stock-index futures are edging lower and the dollar is weakening once more as the initial optimism sparked by yesterday’s tariff reversal yields to a more measured assessment of the risks still facing the US and world economies. Equity futures are setting up for a circa-1.5-percent loss at the North American open, ten-year Treasury yields are stuck near the 4.3 percent mark, and the greenback is heading toward a third day of losses against its major counterparts. The safe-haven Japanese yen is in the ascendant, and the euro is climbing after European Union officials announced plans to postpone retaliatory measures against...

Financial markets are caught in the grip of a deepening selloff after a string of Trump administration officials hit the Sunday talk-show circuit to defend the president’s tariff policies, forcing investors to further mark down US asset values and slash global growth forecasts. Equity futures are setting up for another 3-percent drop at the open, benchmark ten-year Treasury yields are holding below the 4-percent threshold, and the safe-haven yen and euro are outperforming their advanced-economy peers as traders seek protection against the building storm. The administration’s messaging seems remarkably unified. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on CBS “The army of...