US equity markets were again weaker on Tuesday, tariffs (both actual and threatened) making investors skittish. The Dow fell 478 points or -1.14%.

Verizon Communications, the worst performer in the Dow, fell -6.58% after the telecommunications company said at a conference that it has "been a challenging quarter from a competitive intensity standpoint." Verizon anticipates first-quarter postpaid phone gross additions to be flat to slightly down from the prior-year period.

Citi became the latest Wall Street investment bank to downgrade its stance on U.S. equities, downgrading its recommendation to "neutral" from “overweight” and citing recession fears. Citi’s global head of macro strategy, Dirk Willer, cited two key market signals as factors signalling weakness ahead. Firstly, the S&P 500 broke below its 200-day moving average and secondly, the underperformance of market-leading stocks. He noted that while US equities may regain their edge once the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rally resumes, near-term growth is expected to lag behind global markets.