Your support helps us to tell the storySupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference. Asia shares mostly fell in Monday trading as worries grow about President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.4% in early trading to 38,612.96. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.8% to 8,376.30. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.9% to 2,443.57. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dipped 1.4% to 19,942.54, while the Shanghai Composite also was lower but little changed at 3,250.60. Analysts said Asian markets were bracing for volatility set off by a possible trade war escalation. “The implications for trade restrictions could result in reduced global trade flows, supply chain shifts which could mean higher costs for businesses, and higher inflation,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG. Wall Street ended last week lower, with the S&P 500 falling 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 0.3%. The indexes posted their first weekly loss in three weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8%.The selling in New York was broad, with about 75% of the stocks in the S&P 500 closing lower. Technology and energy companies accounted for a large share of the decline. Investors have been jolted by a report from a Chinese upstart, DeepSeek about developing a cheaper large language model that can complete globally. The disruption raised questions about whether all the investment expected for AI chips is really needed, sending some technology shares tumbling. Trump’s 25% tariffs on most imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on goods from China are to take effect Tuesday. His administration has not said what specific improvements would need to be seen in stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of fentanyl to merit the removal of the tariffs.Canada and Mexico ordered retaliatory tariffs on American goods. Canada’s will take effect Tuesday on a range of products, while Canada didn’t give immediate details.Tariff worries helped push long-term bond yields higher, including the 10-year Treasury, which rose to 4.54% Friday from 4.52% late Thursday. Yields have been gen
Lun. Feb 3rd, 2025
