Stock Markets Retreat On Revived Trade Concerns

Stock markets slid lower Wednesday on revived concerns about a China-US trade deal after US lawmakers passed legislation to support Hong Kong civil rights, sparking anger in Beijing.

The move in the US Congress adds to the questions surrounding the talks following comments in recent days by President Donald Trump that have dampened expectations.

"The global trading wind changed direction on Wednesday with benchmarks across the world drifting lower," ActivTrades analyst Pierre Veyret said, noting the shift "was caused by the US Senate passing legislation supporting protesters in Hong Kong."

"Most investors now fear it could significantly impair negotiations and the signing of a 'phase-one' deal with Beijing," he added.

Bourses in Asia, Europe and the United States all fell.

The US Senate adopted legislation Tuesday that supported "human rights and democracy" in Hong Kong and threatened to revoke its special economic status.

Beijing summoned a US diplomat and threatened counter-measures.

And US stocks sank in mid-afternoon trading following a Reuters report saying the partial trade deal Trump announced last month with China may not be completed before the end of this year.

But some investors engaged in bargain-shopping at the dip. The broad-based S&P 500 ended down 0.4 percent after losing nearly one percent at the low point.

"You can see that it has been paring some of these losses," Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial, told AFP. "If we pare the losses, it suggests that traders and investors think there's still hope for a phase one deal."

Trump told reporters again on Wednesday that talks with Beijing continued but he felt no pressure to strike a bargain.

"I don't think they've stepped up," Trump said.

On Tuesday, the US president said he could raise tariffs on Chinese goods if the deal is not finalized.

Crude oil prices, meanwhile, surged after a rise in US energy stocks turned out to be weaker than expected.

On the corporate front, Chinese online retail titan Alibaba said it could raise almost $13 billion in Hong Kong's biggest IPO for nearly a decade after announcing the pricing of shares for the mega sale.

In New York, big-box retailer Target soared 14.3 percent -- its best day since August 21 -- after reporting higher third-quarter earnings on a 4.5 percent increase in comparable store sales.