Global Stocks Slide as U.S.-China Tensions Simmer

By Avantika Chilkoti and Chong Koh Ping

Global stocks ebbed Friday as investors braced for President Trump's response to China's push for tighter security controls on Hong Kong, which could reignite tensions between the world's two largest economies.

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.7%, suggesting that the blue-chips index will open lower. A sharp rally in the gauge this week came to a stuttering halt on Thursday after Mr. Trump said he would hold a press conference on China on Friday.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 dropped 0.7%. Most major Asia-Pacific equity benchmarks closed lower, while the Hong Kong gauge lost 0.7%.

China and the U.S. have been on a collision course in recent days following Beijing's moves to clamp down on antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong by imposing national-security laws on the city. Fresh U.S. measures targeting trade and Chinese companies could weigh on both economies at a time when they are already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, analysts said.

Mr. Trump could review Hong Kong's special status and leave the city facing the same tariffs as mainland China, according to James Athey, a portfolio manager at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Washington has signaled this week that it may declare that it no longer considers Hong Kong autonomous from Beijing.

"It would essentially change the business environment for U.S. companies operating in Hong Kong, so that would be a significant step and not one that we could discount," said Mr. Athey.

Mr. Trump could also take broader punitive measures against China, he said. "He can saber rattle and increase tensions with China directly, rescinding the phase-one deal and going back into the playbook of 2019."

Any U.S. measures on trade or against Chinese companies, and any Chinese retaliation, could have a greater impact than previous actions taken before the new coronavirus battered both economies, according to Colin Low, senior macro analyst at FSMOne.com in Singapore.

Bond markets reflected the erosion in investors' risk appetite. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note edged down to 0.661%, from 0.703% Thursday. Yields fall as bond prices rise.

Ahead of the opening bell in New York, Dell Technologies rallied 7.3%. The computer maker on Thursday said the pandemic has boosted its business in certain sectors. Software maker VMware, which is majority owned by Dell, climbed over 8% after its earnings topped Wall Street's expectations.

Salesforce.com dropped 3.2% in offhours trading after the business-software maker cut its full-year earnings outlook.

Fresh data Friday showed that U.S. consumer spending fell by a record 13.6% in April during coronavirus lockdowns. But there are signs that purchasing is starting to pick up as states start to reopen businesses and Americans return to work.

The University of Michigan's closely watched consumer-sentiment survey for this month will be reported at 10 a.m. Investors are also likely to be watching closely for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's comments at 11 a.m.

Market sentiment could be shifting on a realization that government support won't be enough to prevent job cuts, and that reinfection rates could rise as people get back to work, according to Mike Bell, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

"If you do see infection rates reaccelerate, then that could call into question the existing market narrative that we're now on the path of sustainable reopening," said Mr. Bell.

In commodities, Brent crude, the global gauge of crude-oil prices, fell 1.8%. The main gauge for U.S. crude prices dropped 2.1%.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.2% lower, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 retreated 1.6%.

Write to Avantika Chilkoti at [e-mail] and Chong Koh Ping at [e-mail]