The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slid 1 percent at 10:14 a.m. in London while futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 0.7 percent after the gauge yesterday slumped 1.9 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average tumbled 1.7 percent as the quake caused a 10-meter tsunami that inundated towns north of Tokyo. The yen strengthened 0.3 percent against the dollar, after depreciating 0.4 percent following the temblor. The yield on the German 10- year bund declined four basis points, falling for the third consecutive day. Copper fell and oil slid 1.2 percent in London.
“The Japan earthquakes added another uncertainty to markets that were already plagued with turmoil in the Middle East and European debt concerns,” said Kang Shin Woo, chief investment officer at Seoul-based Korea Investment Management Co., which manages $17 billion. “This could raise concern for the Japanese economy that has showed some signs of recovery.”
The quake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time 130 kilometers (81 miles) off the coast of Sendai, the U.S. Geological Survey said. One person was killed and many are missing or injured, national broadcaster NHK Television said. Airports were closed, bullet train services suspended and more than 4 million homes were left without power. European Union leaders are due to meet at 5 p.m. in Brussels as they seek to break the deadlock on reinforcing their bailout plan and coordinating economic policies by a March 25 deadline.
Saudi ‘Day of Rage’
Anti-government demonstrators in Saudi Arabia are advocating a “Day of Rage” today as Middle East political turmoil threatened to spread to the Arab world’s largest economy. Police in anti-riot vehicles patrolled central Riyadh with checkpoints set up around the Al-Rajhi mosque.
Five stocks fell for every one that gained in the Stoxx 600, as all 19 industry groups declined. Munich Re and Swiss Reinsurance Co., the world’s biggest reinsurers, lost 4.7 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively. K+S AG, Europe’s largest potash manufacturer, dropped 6.3 percent as BASF SE sold a 10.3 percent stake to institutional investors.
The cost of insuring insurance company bonds rose, with credit-default swaps protecting the senior debt of Swiss Re climbing 8 basis points to 124, the highest since Jan. 14, according to CMA. Contracts on Munich Re increased 6 basis points to 74.
Japanese Stocks market
The Nikkei 225 fell to the lowest since January and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 1.4 percent. The yen appreciated against all 16 of its most-traded counterparts, climbing 0.2 percent versus the euro. The Markit iTraxx Japan index of default swaps tied to the nation’s government and corporate bonds rose 4 basis points to 102, the biggest jump since November, according to Markit Group Ltd.
The decline in futures on the S&P 500 indicated the benchmark gauge for U.S. equities will drop for a third day. Reports today may show U.S. retail sales climbed, business inventories rose and consumer sentiment fell, according to Bloomberg surveys of economists.
Portugal’s 10-year benchmark bond dropped for the fifth day, with the yield three basis points higher at 7.53 percent. The extra yield, or spread, investors demand to hold the debt instead of bunds rose eight basis points to 433 basis points, while the Greek 10-year spread over German debt widened six basis points to 957 basis points.
Crude Drops
Brent crude for April settlement fell $1.39 to $114.04 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange after earlier dropping as much as $2.60. The earthquake and aftershocks set a Cosmo Oil Co. refinery on fire near Tokyo and closed at least three others, temporarily curbing demand for crude in Asia’s second- largest oil-consuming nation.
Copper for delivery in three months fell as much as 1.9 percent to $9,018 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange. Aluminum, nickel, lead and zinc also declined. Gold for immediate delivery dropped 0.1 percent to $1,410.95 an ounce. Corn retreated 1.4 percent to $6.73 a bushel in Chicago trading, weakening for a sixth day.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index dropped 1 percent to the lowest since Feb. 25. The Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.8 percent after People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the government will use interest rates to control inflation. Consumer prices rose 4.9 percent in February.
The Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensitive Index, or Sensex, lost 0.9 percent after factory output grew more than analysts expected, giving the central bank scope to raise interest rates next week. South Korea’s Kospi Index (KOSPI) fell 1.3 percent. For the latest updates PRESS CTR + D or visit Stock Market news Today
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