European Stocks Fall Amid US-EU Tariff Tensions, EU Retaliation Plans

European stock markets are expected to open lower amid escalating trade tensions between the United States and the European Union. U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 30% tariff on goods imported from the EU effective August 1, prompting the EU to prepare retaliatory measures in response. EU officials are scheduled to meet this week to formalize their counterattack plans if no trade agreement is reached. Despite hopes for a deal, negotiations remain uncertain, with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasizing the August 1 deadline while indicating talks will continue. The trade conflict has contributed to volatility in European equities, with some sectors like healthcare declining and others like mining and airlines seeing gains due to other economic factors. Meanwhile, Asian markets are also affected by tariff worries and political developments in Japan, and U.S. stocks have shown mixed performance but reached record highs in some indices, offsetting trade concerns to some extent.