Global stocks, oil fall on US results, economy fears
World stocks and crude oil fell on Friday as investors took a dim view of US corporate earnings after General Electric and McDonald's disappointed, while Europe's debt crisis and ongoing concerns about global growth also weighed on sentiment.
October 20, 2012 / 10:12 IST
World stocks and crude oil fell on Friday as investors took a dim view of US corporate earnings after General Electric and McDonald's disappointed, while Europe's debt crisis and ongoing concerns about global growth also weighed on sentiment.
The dollar climbed against the euro and the yen as a perceived lack of progress on a Spanish bailout request reminded investors of the headwinds facing the world economy.Gold fell more than 1 percent, its biggest one-day slide in more than three months, as bullion was hit by technical selling and the decline on Wall Street.The CBOE Volatility Index , the so-called fear gauge, jumped 16.90 percent to 17.56, its highest level since September 5.The stock market sell-off occurred on the 25th anniversary of the Black Monday crash of 1987, when the Dow plummeted 22.6 percent - its worst single-day percentage loss ever.Revenue missed analysts' expectations at GE due to unfavorable exchange rates, while McDonald's profits also missed expectations because of the weak global economy.GE fell 3.4 percent to USD 22.03 and McDonald's slid 4.4 percent to USD 88.85.Of the 116 S&P 500 companies that have reported so far in the US earnings season, 60 percent have exceeded analysts' estimates, a rate lower than the 67 percent pace of the previous four quarters, according to Thomson Reuters data.The Dow Jones industrial average was down 197.63 points, or 1.46 percent, at 13,351.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 23.01 points, or 1.58 percent, at 1,434.33. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 64.12 points, or 2.09 percent, at 3,008.75."We've had a nice run up and you start seeing these earnings miss. It may be time to take some money off the table," said Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at Cabrera Capital Markets Inc in Boston.European shares snapped a four-day winning streak as signs of disagreement among European Union leaders over how to help the region's debt-ridden banks hit financial stocks.Equities in Europe might be prone to a bigger fall because of the perceived lack of progress in finding long-lasting solutions to the euro zone debt crisis, said Luc Bocahut, a portfolio manager at Monaco-based Tiverton Trading."I would be quite bearish here. They really haven't made much progress," Bocahut said.US stocks extended their slide to more than 1.5 percent as earnings from large multinationals underscored the effect of the global economic slowdown.MSCI's all-country world equity index was down 1.2 percent at 334.13.In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading regional companies closed down 0.8 percent at 1,111.85, while the pan-regional Euro STOXX 50 closed down 1.24 percent at 2,542.24.The euro slipped against the dollar as a perceived lack of progress on a Spanish bailout request curbed demand. Risk appetite also eased on a report showing U.S. home resales fell in September, a reminder that America's housing sector is a long way from a full recovery.The euro was last down 0.3 percent at $1.3020, close to a session low of USD 1.3018.US Treasury prices edged up as selling pressure that has hurt the market the past four days subsided. Recent stronger US economic data and hopes that European leaders are taking steps to resolve their debt crisis caused a dramatic jump in Treasuries yields this week amid heavy selling of the debt.The market is also pricing in an expectation that the US Federal Reserve will start raising rates in 2014, instead of 2015, for the first time since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech in Jackson Hole in August, said Jim Vogel, interest rate strategist at FTN Financial in Memphis, Tennessee."The question everyone is asking is 'Was QE3 even necessary?' given that we are already seeing evidence of a nice third-quarter rebound," he said.The benchmark 10-year US Treasury note was up 17/32 to yield 1.7694 percent.Brent and US crude futures fell more than 1 percent on concerns about the European debt crisis, a stronger dollar and the decline in equity markets.December Brent crude oil futures slid USD 2.28 to settle at USD 110.14 a barrel. US crude settled down USD 2.05 at USD 90.05 a barrel.US COMEX gold futures for December delivery settled down USD 20.70 an ounce at USD1,724.Spot gold was down 1.2 percent at USD 1,721.00 an ounce.USEFUL LINKSEuro zone govt funding progress: http://r.reuters.com/myd97rEuro zone debt crisis: http://r.reuters.com/hyb65pAsset performance: http://link.reuters.com/muc46s Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
