US stocks were on track for their biggest quarterly drop since the financial crisis on Tuesday as they wobbled between positive and negative territory in their final trading session of the period.
A rally over the past week, as investors warmed to the emergency actions of global governments and central banks, has saved Wall Street from notching up its worst quarter since the Great Depression, but stocks still remain down around 19 per cent since the start of the year.
The S&P 500 was down 0.8 per cent at mid-afternoon in New York. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fared better, down 0.3 per cent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1 per cent.
Equities in Europe held their poise, having taken some comfort on Tuesday from tentative signs the Chinese economy is stabilising after Covid-19 lockdowns stifled activity in February.