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Trump preparing auto tariff announcement soon, report says

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Dollar Tree ( DLTR ) up on sale of Family Dollar business

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GameStop ( GME ) climbs on bitcoin bet, higher Q4 profit

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Barclays cuts S&P 500 2025 target

(Updates prices to close)

By Noel Randewich

March 26 (Reuters) - Wall Street stocks ended sharply lower on Wednesday, dragged down by losses in Nvidia ( NVDA ) and Tesla as investors awaited information about long-promised U.S. tariffs on automotive imports.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to announce plans for car-industry tariffs at a press conference on Wednesday, widening the global trade war he kicked off this year. Auto industry experts expect the move to drive up prices and stymie production. For weeks, Trump has promised to announce a swath of reciprocal tariffs on April 2.

Shares of Tesla and General Motors ( GM ) both lost ground, with investors uncertain about the scale of tariffs, retaliatory measures from trading partners and potential ripple effects on the global economy and businesses.

"Markets hate the tariff uncertainty, especially when it pertains to autos. Autos are ground zero for the negative economic impacts of tariffs," said Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group.

Heavyweight chipmakers Nvidia ( NVDA ) and Broadcom ( AVGO ) both fell sharply.

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 65.10 points, or 1.13%, to end at 5,711.55 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 372.84 points, or 2.04%, to 17,899.02. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 134.07 points, or 0.31%, to 42,444.02.

A survey revealed a decline in optimism among top business executives in the first quarter.

Businesses wary of tariff-related price hikes scrambled to build up inventories. Data showed an unexpected increase last month in orders for durable U.S. manufactured goods.

Barclays revised its S&P 500 target downward to 5,900 points from 6,600. The S&P 500 has lost 3% so far in 2025, while the Nasdaq is down over 7%.

The main focus later this week will be the personal consumption expenditures price index - the Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge - due on Friday.

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said he was uncertain about the effect of Trump's tariffs, with the possibility they could push up prices arguing for higher interest rates.

Dollar Tree ( DLTR ) rose after the discount-retail chain said it was nearing a sale of its Family Dollar business to a consortium of private equity investors for about $1 billion.

GameStop ( GME ) jumped following its board's unanimous approval to incorporate bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset.

(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap and Johann M Cherian in Bangalore, and by Noel Randewich in Oaklad, California; Editing by Maju Samuel and David Gregorio)