Wall Street's volatility index on Friday hit levels not seen since the stock market crash during COVID-19. The spike in fear came amid an overall rout in equities sparked by the imposition of the steepest American tariffs in over a century.

Wall Street's most watched gauge of investor anxiety jumped to a new eight-month high on Monday as U.S. stocks extended their selloff from last week on worries over the fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

It’s rare to see Wall Street’s fear gauge end as high as it did on Friday, signaling “a crisis that demands an immediate policy response,” according to DataTrek Research. The gauge was climbing even higher Monday morning.

By The Associated Press Asian markets plunged on Monday following last week’s two-day meltdown on Wall Street, and President Donald Trump said he won’t back down on the sweeping new

Asian markets plunged on Monday following last week’s two-day meltdown on Wall Street, and President Donald Trump said he won’t back down on the sweeping new tariffs he announced on April 2 that have roiled global trade.

Wall Street stock futures opened sharply lower on Sunday suggesting a rough start to the trading week as investors worried that a global trade war could push the U.S. economy into a recession after President Donald Trump's announcement last week of sweeping tariffs against U.