Bangladesh, April 7 -- European stock markets were engulfed in turmoil on April 7, as investors reacted sharply to a sweeping set of new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index plunged more than 6% shortly after markets opened, reaching its lowest level in 16 months and sparking fears of a prolonged global economic downturn. This came just days after Trump unveiled a new tariff regime targeting imports from dozens of countries, igniting a fresh wave of trade tensions not seen since the 2018-2019 US-China trade war.

The broad sell-off extended across the continent, with Germanys DAX falling nearly 10%, Frances CAC 40 down 6.6%, and Italys FTSE MIB sliding 5.7%. The UKs FTSE 100 also suffered its wors...