Dow Futures Tumble as Market Braces for Trade Turbulence—Tech in the Crosshairs

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U.S. equity futures were under heavy pressure early Friday, with Dow Jones futures today down sharply, as Wall Street digested a broad-based selloff triggered by a fresh escalation in trade tensions.

The market, already on shaky footing, responded swiftly to news of heightened tariffs and retaliatory moves out of Beijing, putting investors firmly on the defensive.

By midmorning, stock futures today signaled a lower open across the board. Dow futures today slid more than 400 points, while S&P 500 futures and SPX futures both declined by over 1.3%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq index, which bore the brunt of yesterday’s losses, extended its slide, with QQQ and spy futures deep in the red.

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Trade Shock Rattles Wall Street

President Trump’s surprise move to impose elevated tariffs on a wider range of Chinese goods sent ripples across the Dow Jones Industrial Average, triggering its largest single-day drop in years.

Beijing wasted no time responding—announcing a sweeping 34% tax on U.S. imports starting next week. As a result, us stocks nosedived, and Dow stock valuations came under renewed scrutiny.

“Investors hate uncertainty, and right now there’s nothing but uncertainty,” said Jeremy Siegel, Wharton professor and market historian, in an interview with Fox News Live. “The fear isn’t just tariffs. It’s what comes next—and the risk of an all-out economic cold war.”

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Nvidia Leads Tech Rout

Semiconductors took a beating, with Nvidia stock down nearly 8% in yesterday’s session. Traders continued to unload shares in early futures action today despite a surprising twist: Nvidia was the most heavily bought stock by retail investors, according to data from J.P. Morgan. An estimated $913 million flowed into the chipmaker’s shares Thursday—a record one-day haul.

“Retail is leaning in, but institutions are clearly stepping back,” said a trader on the floor of the NYSE. “It’s a tug-of-war between conviction and caution.”

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Broader Market Picture: Red Across the Board

Across the globe, sentiment soured. The FTSE 100 shed 1.4%, mirroring losses in other European benchmarks. Meanwhile, oil prices stumbled, and bond yields slid as investors piled into safer assets.

Back home, the current stock market mood was grim. The Dow Jones today, along with the S&P 500 today and Nasdaq Composite, were poised for another rough session. With the live stock market just hours from opening, the bears were clearly in control.

Among the indices:

• Dow Jones futures today were down 1.2%

• S&P 500 futures off 1.4%

• Nasdaq today set to open more than 1.8% lower

• The SNP 500 posted its worst day since 2020, and the losses look set to deepen

For investors asking when does the stock market close, the countdown is now more about relief than opportunity.

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Eyes on Jobs and the Fed

In the background, Friday’s March jobs report was expected to show 140,000 new payrolls added, down from 151,000 in February. The finance Yahoo consensus also forecasted a steady 4.1% unemployment rate.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to speak later today, and markets will hang on every word. With inflationary pressures on one side and trade-fueled growth risks on the other, Powell’s tone could sway sentiment sharply.

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