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EU: WELCOMES THE AGREEMENT ON THE FIRST PHASE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO END THE GAZA CONFLICT PUT FORWARD BY PRESIDENT TRUMP TO SECURE AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AND THE RELEASE OF ALL HOSTAGES

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* Indexes down: Dow 1.90%, S&P 500 2.71%, Nasdaq 3.56% * S&P 500, Nasdaq see biggest one-day pct drop since April 10 * Indexes erase weekly gains * U.S.-listed shares of Chinese firms tumble (Updates with closing prices) By Stephen Culp NEW YORK, Oct 10 (Reuters) – Wall Street tanked on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump rattled markets by unleashing a string of bellicose threats against China after Beijing tightened its rare earth restrictions. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he is weighing a "massive" tariff increase on Chinese imports and said there is no reason to meet with China's President Xi Jinping in two weeks as planned, adding that there are "many other countermeasures" under consideration. The tirade shocked markets and threatened further damage to already strained relations between the world's two largest economies. All three major U.S. stock indexes sold off sharply in the wake of Trump's remarks. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq suffered their largest single-day percentage drops since April 10. On a weekly basis, the S&P 500 logged its biggest drop since May, while the Nasdaq's Friday-to-Friday decline was its steepest since April. "The second largest economy and the first largest economy are arguing again, and we're seeing a sell first, ask questions later mentality to end the week," said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group in Omaha. "President Trump's post did truly come out of nowhere, which opened the door for some extreme volatility." "And it's important to remember we haven't had this level of volatility in a long time," Detrick added. "One could argue we were due for some spookiness this October." Trump's erratic trade policies have rattled markets since his April 2 "Liberation Day" tariff announcement, with on-again, off-again trade negotiations, causing turbulence across asset classes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 878.82 points, or 1.90%, to 45,479.60, the S&P 500 lost 182.60 points, or 2.71%, to 6,552.51 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 820.20 points, or 3.56%, to 22,204.43. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index dropped 6.3%, in the wake of Trump's announcement. China produces over 90% of the world's processed rare earths and rare earth magnets, which are critical for products ranging from electric vehicles and aircraft engines to military radars. Renewed tensions between the two largest global economies could trigger major supply chain disruptions, particularly for the technology, electric vehicle and defense industries. The CBOE Volatility Index, viewed as a reflection of market anxiety, reached its highest closing level since June 19. U.S.-listed shares of Chinese companies dropped sharply, with heavyweights Alibaba Group Holding, JD.com Inc and PDD Holdings down between 5.3% and 8.5%. Qualcomm fell 7.3% after China's market regulator said the country had launched an antitrust investigation into the semiconductor manufacturer over its acquisition of Israel's Autotalks. The U.S. government is currently in its 10th day of shutdown as a congressional impasse has so far yielded few signs of progress or serious negotiation. This has resulted in a data blackout, with official government economic indicators postponed for the time being. Still, data from independent sources continues unabated. The University of Michigan released its preliminary take on October consumer sentiment, which is drifting along near historic lows as high prices and weakening job prospects remain at the forefront of consumer worries. In the absence of official data, investors look to the U.S. Federal Reserve for clues regarding near-term interest rate cuts. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said that while private employment data continues to show labor market weakness, the central bank should act with caution when reducing the Fed funds target rate as it evaluates the economy. St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem echoed that sentiment, saying that another rate cut could be warranted as insurance against a weakening labor market. "I believe that we have to tread with caution" before monetary policy becomes too accommodative, he said. A spate of large financial firms – including JPMorgan Chase , Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo – is set to release quarterly results on Tuesday, marking the unofficial launch of third-quarter earnings season. Analysts currently expect third-quarter S&P 500 earnings growth of 8.8% year-on-year, on aggregate, compared with annual growth of 13.8% last quarter and 9.1% in Q3 2024, according to LSEG data. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 4.36-to-1 ratio on the NYSE. There were 215 new highs and 167 new lows on the NYSE. On the Nasdaq, 799 stocks rose and 3,936 fell as declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 4.93-to-1 ratio. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and 19 new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 102 new highs and 145 new lows. Volume on U.S. exchanges was 24.26 billion shares, compared with the 20.15 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days. (Reporting by Stephen Culp; Additional reporting by Niket Nishant, Sukriti Gupta, Purvi Agarwal and Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

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BARDELLA, FROM FRANCE'S FAR-RIGHT NATIONAL RALLY PARTY, SAYS HIS PARTY WILL VOTE DOWN LECORNU GOVERNMENT

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* Macron seeks PM to resolve political crisis * Hard left and far right parties not invited to crunch talks * Socialists say no guarantee they won't vote down next government * Crisis denting economic growth, central bank chief warns (Recasts with Lecorn named) By Elizabeth Pineau PARIS, Oct 10 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister, reappointing him after he quit the job earlier this week, hoping the loyalist can draw enough support from deeply divided parliament to pass a 2026 budget. In naming Lecornu, Macron, 47, risks the wrath of his political rivals, who have argued that the best way out of the country's deepest political crisis in decades was for Macron to either hold snap parliamentary elections or resign. Lecornu's immediate task will be to deliver a budget to parliament by the end of Monday. "I accept – out of duty – the mission entrusted to me by the President of the Republic to do everything possible to provide France with a budget by the end of the year and to address the daily life issues of our fellow citizens," Lecornu wrote on X. "We must put an end to this political crisis that exasperates the French people and to this instability that is harmful to France's image and its interests." LEFTISTS UPSET Macron earlier convened a meeting of mainstream party leaders to rally support around his choice. Leftist leaders expressed dismay Macron would not be picking a prime minister from their ranks, their indignant response suggesting his future government might be as fragile as those that preceded it. Another collapsed government would raise the likelihood of Macron calling a snap election, a scenario seen benefitting the far right the most. "We're not looking for parliament to be dissolved, but nor are we afraid," Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure told reporters as he left the meeting. CRISIS SAPS ECONOMIC GROWTH France's political turmoil, which has dented growth and spooked financial markets, was in large part triggered by Macron's decision last year to hold a legislative election, a gamble that delivered a hung parliament split between three ideologically opposed blocs. The country's push to get its finances in order, requiring budget cuts or tax hikes that no party can agree on, has only deepened the malaise. So, too, has manoeuvring by political leaders seeking to succeed Macron in the 2027 presidential election. If the National Assembly cannot find common ground on a budget in the time given, emergency legislation may be needed to keep the country running next year on a roll-over budget. Macron shut out Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) and the hard left France Unbowed (LFI) from the meeting of party chiefs. RN resident Jordan Bardella said the president's strategy was about avoiding a legislative election rather than defending the interests of French people. "The RN is honoured not to have been invited. We are not for sale to those around Macron," Bardella wrote on X. RACE TO DELIVER BUDGET The country's central bank chief, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, forecast on Friday that the current political uncertainty would cost the economy 0.2 percentage points of gross domestic product. Business sentiment was suffering but the economy was broadly fine, he said. "Uncertainty is … the number one enemy of growth," Villeroy told RTL radio. Fraught budget negotiations this year and last as France seeks to rein in its public finances and tame a gaping budget deficit have cost Macron three prime ministers in less than 12 months. Central to the most recent budget negotiations have been the left's desire to repeal Macron's 2023 pension reforms that lifted the retirement age, and tax the wealthy more heavily. Those demands have been hard to square with the conservatives, whose support Macron also needs to pass a budget. In the meeting, Macron offered to delay raising the retirement age as far as 64 by a year to 2028. Green leader Marine Tondelier described the concession as insufficient. Villeroy said it would be preferable if the deficit did not exceed 4.8% of GDP in 2026. The deficit is forecast to hit 5.4% this year, nearly double the European Union's cap. Macron's second-to-last prime minister, Francois Bayrou, was ousted by the National Assembly over his plans for 44 billion euros in savings to bring the deficit down to 4.6% of GDP. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Benjamin Mallet Writing by Richard Lough Editing by Alison Williams, Frances Kerry and Toby Chopra)

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FOR THE WEEK, RUSSELL 2000 SMALL CAP INDEX FALLS 3.29% FOR BIGGEST WEEKLY LOSS SINCE WEEK BEGINNING JULY 28

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