Shares plunge as Trump poses the specter of a wider, more extensive trade war

On Wednesday after U.S. shares in Asia increased their losses President Trump stated that a trade deal with China may have to postpone until after the presidential election in 2020, squandering expectations for a swift tentative contract.

The atmosphere was also overshadowed by new U.S. tariffs on Argentina and Brazil as well as increased penalties on French exports, as a trade war that seemed to wind down a week earlier now seems to....