By FXEmpire.com
Here is a quick look at indices from around the globe from closing last evening, to early Asian trading today.
Falling energy and commodity shares have pulled US markets lower amid growth concerns and talk of strategic oil stocks releases by Western powers.
At the market close on Wednesday, the Dow Jones was down 71.52 points (0.54 per cent) to 13,126.21.
The S&P 500 lost 6.98 (0.49 per cent) to 1,405.54, while the Nasdaq gave up 15.39 (0.49 per cent) to 3,104.96.
Energy shares led the fall, the broad sector losing 1.3 per cent, as oil prices dropped on signs of weak US consumption and France’s comments that it might release some of its strategic oil stocks to help moderate the market, following reports that the US and Britain were weighing the same move.
European stocks dropped on Wednesday with banks and miners leading the declines as disappointment over U.S. durable-goods orders weighed on sentiment.
The Stoxx Europe 600 closed 1.1% lower at 264.10.
There are concerns that the pickup in the economy is not that rosy and that markets have been overoptimistic after the extra liquidity provided by the European Central Bank.
Germany is doing well, but southern Europe is doing worse than expected and markets have underestimated the effects government’s austerity measures will have on economies. The big questions among investors is if northern European countries will be able to support growth in Europe so much that the euro zone will come out of the negative territory.
Spain’s IBEX 35 dropped 2% to 7,980.80 and underperformed all other country-specific indexes.
The French CAC 40 index fell 1.1% to 3,430.15.
U.K. stocks ended lower Wednesday, after British gross domestic product for the fourth quarter showed a larger-than-expected decline. The FTSE 100 closed down 1% at 5,808.99. U.K. stocks traded in a tight range to start but moved lower as the GDP data were revised down to a 0.3% quarter-on-quarter decline, from a previously estimated of 0.2%.
Tokyo shares have opened down 0.47 per cent after investors grew cautious about US growth and talk of oil stock releases by Western powers.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange opened 47.79 points lower at 10,134.78 on Thursday.
Worse-than-expected US durable goods orders helped push stocks on Wall Street lower.
The yen’s weakening momentum, which has helped the Nikkei gain in recent weeks, was easing for now. Risk-taking is in a lull.
Hong Kong stocks have opened 0.99 percent lower, following falls on US and European markets sparked by fears over the health of the global economy.
The Hang Seng Index slid 206.71 points to 20,678.71 on Thursday.
Originally posted here
