Mubasher: Wall Street was set to open lower while European stock markets fell on Thursday, 27 March 2025, affected by the new tariffs on auto imports which were announced by US President Donald Trump a day earlier.

Shares in some of the world's biggest carmakers declined after the auto tariffs decision, Reuters reported.

On 26 March, Trump declared 25% tariffs on all vehicles and foreign-made auto parts imported into the US.

“U.S. automakers lost ground after the bell. General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab slumped 6%, while shares in Ford (F.N), opens new tab fell almost 5%, reflecting concerns about the impact on their supply chains,” according to Reuters.

The new tariffs add to the global trade dispute which investors fear will affect growth and could stoke US inflation. Meanwhile, Trump might give Beijing some reduction in tariffs in order to finalize a deal to sell TikTok, which helped Chinese shares outperform in Asian trading.

"Perhaps the FX market is dealing with tariff fatigue, and apart from already being priced in, the muted reaction may be a result of Trump suggesting that next week's reciprocal tariffs could be quite lenient," Reuters cited ING's Global Head of Markets, Chris Turner.