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Investing.com - The so-called "Fed put" remains firmly in place, as concerns swirl around renewed global trade tensions and the credit health of regional U.S. lenders, according to analysts at Barclays.
This week, markets have been buffetted by a revived trade fight between the U.S. and China, which dented longstanding hopes that the world’s two largest economies had reached a lasting detente following an escalation in their spat earlier this year.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, in response to Beijing’s expanded curbs on exports of rare earths materials.
The White House has also called on China to roll back the restrictions, a demand that Beijing has rejected. As both sides exchange barbs, risks have begun to emerge around a possible meeting between Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month -- a gathering that markets had been homing in on as potential source of clarity in what has been a murky outlook for global trade.
Meanwhile, a negative credit update from Zions Bancorporation on Thursday heaped fuel on to emerging fears around the fallout of the high-profile collapses of U.S. auto parts supplier First Brands and car dealership Tricolor.
Along with the tumble in shares of Zions, Western Alliance also shed more than 10% of its value on an announcement that it had initiated a fraud lawsuit against one of its borrowers.
In a note, the analysts including Emmanuel Cau said recent geopolitical and credit risks "may continue to unsettle markets."
However, they highlighted that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled this week that the central bank remains open to slashing interest rates at its upcoming meeting this month. This "reinforced expectations of a dovish Fed," the analysts said, adding that "for now" the belief that the central bank will step in to bolster financial markets with accommodative policies -- known as the "Fed put" -- has been "reinforced."