Markets fall as trade concerns drag on

Markets mostly fell on Thursday.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6 percent and the STOXX Europe 600 fell 0.9 percent.

Earlier in the day, Asian stocks were mixed. The Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 percent but the Shanghai Composite fell 1.4 percent.

Trade issues remained a concern for investors.

“We think the trade issue is going to continue to escalate,” said Jeff Donlon, managing director of the global strategies group at Manning & Napier, “and the longer this drags on, the more risk will grow and the more the issue should be factored into expectations.”

However, Shane Oliver, chief economist at AMP Capital, thinks that negotiations will lead to a resolution before the tariffs are implemented. “Share markets would rebound in response to this,” he said.