Stock Futures Fall as Trump Dials Up Tariff Threat

U.S. stocks looked set for losses on Thursday after President Donald Trump said he would set unilateral tariff rates within the next week or two, stoking fears about trade tensions after a spell of relative calm.

Futures tracking the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 227 points, or 0.5%. S&P 500 futures and contracts tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 fell 0.5% and 0.6% respectively.

Trump said Wednesday that he planned to start sending countries letters that would inform them of unilateral tariff rates, according to multiple reports, ahead of the July 9 deadline his administration has set for negotiating trade deals.