The benchmark S&P 500 closed down 10% from its February peak. The whirlwind of tariff announcements in recent weeks have hammered investor confidence.

The widely followed stock index fell more than 10 percent as President Donald Trump threatened to escalate a tariff tiff with the European Union.

Wall Street ended sharply lower on Thursday and the S&P 500 confirmed it is in a correction after cool inflation data was overshadowed by fears that the escalating tariff war being waged by the United States against some of its biggest trading partners could reignite inflation and tip the economy into recession.

The S&P 500 fell 1.4% on Thursday, marking its lowest point of the year and sliding into a market correction, as it is now down 10.1% from the all-time high it reached less than a month ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also hit a year-to-date low, closing down 537 points.

But uncertainty around Trump's tariff policy continues to grip Wall Street, and his trade war has only intensified this week. The president has vowed to respond to tariffs planned by the EU and Canada in response to US duties on steel and aluminum imports — most notably leading off Thursday by threatening a 200% tariff on imports of EU wines and spirits.