Stocks Drop, Bonds Rally as Trade Tensions Rise

Can America fight a trade war on two fronts?

First, a steel trade war (sort of, kind of, maybe a little bit more saber-rattling than actual policy in the end), now a trademark war with China? While the U.S. has been trying to crack down on Chinese companies that steal U.S. intellectual property for many years, this latest salvo looks to be more market-shaking than past moves.

Note the main industries affected by this latest of the daily kerfuffles, and check your exposure. Know what you don’t know.

Graphic source: Bloomberg

Maybe it’s time to add a new stress-test to your risk reports.

The threat that a tit-for-tat trade spat with China will erupt and hamper global growth has investors on edge a day after the Fed sought to reassure markets that it’s in no hurry to raise rates even as it lifted growth projections for the world’s largest economy

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