London equities are poised for a softer start on Monday as fresh trade tensions weigh on sentiment following Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat and his criticism of Friday’s Supreme Court ruling.
Futures indicate the FTSE 100 will open around 25.3 points lower, down 0.2% at 10,661.59. The blue-chip index had ended Friday up 59.85 points, or 0.6%, at 10,686.89.
The dollar edged lower in early Asian trading as uncertainty persisted surrounding Donald Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs.
Across Asia, trading was mixed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index jumped 2.6% to 27,089.57 after Donald Trump’s so-called “liberation day” tariffs were ruled illegal, boosting investor sentiment across the region. Elsewhere, South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.7% to 5,846.09, Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.5%, and India’s Sensex added 0.4%.
In contrast, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.6% to 9,026.00. Markets in Japan and mainland China remained closed for public holidays.
Wall Street ended last week on a strong note, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.5%, the S&P 500 gaining 0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 0.9%.
Sterling strengthened against the dollar as renewed tariff uncertainty weighed on the US currency. The pound rose 0.4% to $1.353, while the dollar also declined 0.4% against the euro and slipped 0.3% versus the Japanese yen.
Gold climbed to its highest level in more than three weeks on Monday as renewed tariff uncertainty pressured the dollar and prompted investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets.
Spot gold advanced 1.1% to $5,161.64 an ounce by 4:19am GMT, having earlier reached its strongest level since January 30. US gold futures for April delivery rose 2% to $5,183.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin dropped by as much as 4.8% to $64,300. Losses were steeper across the broader digital asset space, with Ether — the second-largest token — declining 5.2%.
