As the Trump administration's latest announcements about tariffs showed, the S&P 500 can still be skittish despite several months of fairly consistent gains and an improvement of more than 13% year-to-date (YTD). As trade tensions with China risk ratcheting up further, investors might expect other jolts to the market.
With the resurgence of tariffs, slipping consumer confidence, and a range of other metrics suggesting broader trouble for the economy, investors may want to proactively shift toward defensive plays.
