US-North Korea standoff hits the European markets

As a result of the latest salvo fired by US President Donald Trump against North Korea, the European markets spiralled downwards to register a big loss on Friday. The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended lower by more than 1% and was at its five-month low. Almost all the sectors traded in the negative and for the week, the benchmark slipped by 2.6%.
 
UK’s FTSE 100, the German DAX and the French CAC 40 shed their earnings by more than 2.3%. As per information given by the Labor Department, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inched up 0.1% last month, indicating subdued inflation. Market observers feel that such movements could make the Federal Reserve policy makers cautious regarding another interest rate hike in 2017.