The Dow Jones Industrial Average was under pressure on Thursday, extending a downturn for blue-chip stocks that risks pushing it to its lowest close since early February, according to FactSet data. The Dow was down 350 points, or 1.4%, at 24,333, in recent trade. A close around that level would mark its lowest finish since it ended at 24,191 on Feb. 9. Resurgent protectionist talk, with the Trump administration planning to announce new import duties against China, has renewed concerns about a potential trade conflict between two of the world’s economic powerhouses. Anxieties around heightened trade tensions pushed the 10-year Treasury note yield to 2.82%, a fall of nearly 10 basis points for the benchmark Treasury, which draws bids amid uncertainty. Bond prices rise as yields fall. Wall Street also was contending with the Federal Reserve’s policy update on Wednesday, as the central bank raised rates a quarter-point, as expected, but signaled that the pace of rate hikes would accelerate in the future. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index was down 1.3% at 2,677, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was down 1.3% at 7,252.
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