•Global stock markets have slumped after US President Donald Trump's unexpected threat to impose new tariffs on Chinese exports.
On Wednesday, Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 1.5% after the Dow Jones ended down 1.8%.
The US president has vowed to double tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods on Friday, amid claims Beijing is trying to row back on a trade deal.
But a Chinese delegation is still due in the US for trade talks this week.
The talks, led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, are due to resume in Washington on Thursday.
Asian markets lost ground on Wednesday, after investors in the previous session had sought shelter in safer government bonds and the Japanese yen.
•U.S. stock index futures hovered around the flatline on Wednesday morning, as market participants continued to monitor trade relations between the U.S. and China.
At around 02:35 a.m. ET, Dow futures remain unchanged, indicating a slightly higher open of more than 40 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were marginally higher.
Investors are also monitoring corporate earnings.
Honda Motor, Toyota Motors, NY Times and Wendy’s will report their latest results before the bell. Dinery and Fox Corp will update markets after the bell.
There are no data releases scheduled in the U.S.
•European stocks traded mixed on Wednesday morning as the escalating threat of a trade war between the U.S. and China continues to weigh on major markets.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index dropped 0.14% after the bell, with the travel and leisure sector starting the session as the biggest loser, down 0.88%, while tech stocks climbed 0.5%.
•Asian equities tracked Wall Street’s slide on Wednesday, while investors switched to safe-haven government bonds, driven by fears that global growth will suffer as a potential trade deal between the United States and China appeared to be unraveling.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan, which earlier on Wednesday morning touched its lowest level since late March, was down 0.55 percent.
•The Chinese stock market fell on Wednesday on weaker-than-expected exports numbers, adding to investor concerns over Beijing and Washington’s protracted tariff tussle.
The Shanghai Composite index fell 1.1 percent to 2,893.76, while the blue-chip CSI300 index lost 1.4 percent.
CSI300’s financial sector sub-index dropped 1.8 percent, the consumer staples sector lost 1.4 percent, the real estate index fell 1.3 percent and the healthcare sub-index was down 1.6 percent.
•Japan’s Nikkei tumbled 1.5 percent to a five-week low on Wednesday as fears there might be a breakdown in U.S.-China trade negotiations continued to weigh on the market, while a stronger yen pulled down exporters.
Investors were spooked by a sell-off in Wall Street overnight, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its second-biggest daily percentage drop of the year.
The Nikkei share average shed 321.13 points to end at 21,602.59, the lowest closing level since April 2, following a 1.5 percent drop on Tuesday, when investors returned to the market after a 10-day break for Japan’s Golden Week holidays and celebrations to mark the ascent of a new emperor to the throne.
Investors are now focused on trade talks on Thursday and Friday in Washington, where Chinese Vice Premier Liu will try to salvage a deal that would avoid a sharp increase in tariffs on Chinese goods ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC, BBC
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