Futures fall as quake sets off tsunami alerts Dollar falls versus Japanese yen

Futures fall as quake sets off tsunami alerts Dollar falls versus Japanese yen : U.S. stock futures slumped Friday after a powerful earthquake rocked Japan, setting off tsunami alerts for Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast and 19 other countries.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/comstock/21b!f:dj\h11 (DJH11 11,917, -66.00, -0.55%) fell 76 points to 11,907 and futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index /quotes/comstock/21m!f:sp\h11 (SPH11 1,293, -1.30, -0.10%) slid 1.30 points to 1,293.

Nasdaq 100 futures /quotes/comstock/21m!f:nd\h11 (NDH11 2,283, -27.50, -1.19%) were flat at 2,283.

European equities were sharply lower in morning trading following on from steep losses for Asian markets.

The drops came as an 8.9-magnitude earthquake shook Japan Friday, setting off a 10-meter high tsunami along coastal areas. Tsunami alerts have been issued for nearly 20 countries, including Hawaii and the West Coast.

In the currency markets, the dollar fell 0.9% to 82.16 Japanese yen.

On Thursday, the Dow /quotes/comstock/10w!i:dji/delayed (DJIA 11,985, -228.48, -1.87%) tumbled 228.48 points, or 1.87%