(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock
markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window)
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Indexes down: Dow 0.17%, S&P 500 0.54%, Nasdaq 0.52%
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Berkshire Hathaway falls after Buffett to step down as CEO
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US service sector picks up in April
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Skechers jumps after $9 billion take-private deal
(Updates after markets open)
By Purvi Agarwal and Johann M Cherian
May 5 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes fell on
Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump rekindled worries about
the fallout of a global trade war by introducing new tariffs,
while focus remained on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy
decision later this week.
On Sunday, Trump announced a 100% tariff on movies produced
outside the U.S. but offered little clarity on how the levies
would be implemented.
Movie and television production companies that film overseas
fell. Netflix ( NFLX ) was down 2.2% and Amazon.com ( AMZN )
fell 1.9%, while Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount
fell 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively.
Separately, class B shares of Warren Buffett's Berkshire
Hathaway were down 6.2% after the investor said he will
step down as CEO of the conglomerate, with the stock weighing on
the S&P 500 financials sector.
At 10:03 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
fell 73.36 points, or 0.17%, to 41,245.64, the S&P 500
lost 30.24 points, or 0.54%, to 5,656.43, and the Nasdaq
Composite lost 94.25 points, or 0.52%, to 17,883.48.
Nine of the S&P 500's 11 sectors fell, with energy stocks
down 1.9% as crude prices dropped on anticipation of
increased supply by OPEC+ countries.
In a bright spot, an ISM survey showed services sector
activity picked up in April, standing at 51.6, more than the
50.2 that economists polled by Reuters were expecting.
On Friday, the S&P 500 notched its ninth session of gains, a
streak last seen in 2004, on hopes of potential easing of
Sino-U.S. trade tensions.
This week, the spotlight will be on the U.S. Fed, which is
widely expected to keep interest rates on hold. Commentary from
central bank policymakers will be in focus to gauge their
approach to monetary policy easing this year amid tariff
impacts.
"What we're still dealing with is policy versus economics
... we haven't yet been able to see what the final impact from
the tariff situation will be," said Phil Blancato, CEO of
Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management.
Data last week showed the world's biggest economy contracted
in the first quarter, for the first time since 2022, as traders
rushed to import goods before tariffs kicked in, raising worries
about slowing growth.
Traders are pricing in 25 basis points of easing by the Fed
only by July, and see a total of 80 points of cuts by the end of
the year, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Investor attention will also be on how companies are
navigating tariff-induced uncertainty.
Tyson Foods ( TSN ) dropped 8.1% after the meat packer
missed quarterly revenue expectations.
U.S.-listed shares of gold miners Gold Fields Ltd
and Anglogold Ashanti ( AU ) gained 7.4% and 4.3%, respectively,
tracking higher gold prices.
Skechers jumped 24% after the footwear maker agreed
to be taken private by 3G Capital in a $9.4 billion deal.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.96-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and a 1.65-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted three new 52-week highs and three new
lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 25 new highs and 27
new lows.