Stocks looked set to fall on Monday, as investors fretted about trade tensions and fears that U.S. President Donald Trump could fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in a bid to force the central bank to cut interest rates.
The three blue-chip U.S. indexes were set to open lower. Futures tracking the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 349 points, 0.9%. S&P 500 futures slipped 1%, and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 1.1%.
White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said Friday that the Trump administration was looking into whether it can fire Powell, a day after the President took to social media to slam the Fed chair.