Stock markets in the US, UK and Europe have suffered heavy falls after Donald Trump announced a number of tariffs, prompting fears of a global trade war.

The US president rattled investors by signing off on tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico over the weekend, triggering what was quickly described as a “Trump tariff tantrum”.

The FTSE 100 share index shed 122 points, or 1.4%, to hit 8,551 points, falling back from last Friday’s record high.

Germany’s DAX index fell by 1.6%, while France’s CAC 40 was down by 1.5%. Spain’s IBEX dropped 1.5% and Italy’s FTSE MIB lost 1%.

Wall Street followed European markets lower. The Dow Jones industrial average of 30 large US companies opened down 1.26%. The broader S&P 500 index fell by more than 1.6% while the tech-focused Nasdaq dropped by nearly 2%.

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