Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Global stocks, euro tumble on lackluster earnings, Spain

reported disappointing profits and earnings outlooks.

The euro fell as low as $1.2950, its lowest level against the dollar since October 16. It last traded at $1.2964, down 0.7 percent on the day. The euro also dropped against the yen as Spain's borrowing costs spiked after rating agency Moody's downgraded five of the country's regions, including economically important but deeply indebted Catalonia.

The decline in U.S. stock prices was broad with all 10 of the S&P 500's sectors down. Dupont shares fell 9.1 percent to $45.23 after the chemical maker slashed its earnings forecast and reported disappointing quarterly results.

"The market has gone from taking a macro view focused on the EU and China to focusing on earnings, and the earnings are disappointing," said Timothy Hoyle, director of research for Haverford Investments in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

"We expected earnings to be flat to down a few percent, but we did not anticipate the fact that the third quarter got progressively weaker for many companies."

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 208.46 points, or 1.56 percent, at 13,137.43. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 16.29 points, or 1.14 percent, at 1,417.53. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 15.72 points, or 0.52 percent, at 3,001.24.

Apple Inc took the wraps off an 8-inch tablet on Tuesday in its biggest product move since debuting the iPad two years ago. Its 7.9-inch "iPad mini" marks Apple's first foray into the smaller tablet segment. Apple's shares were down 2.3 percent at $619.50 in a day of very volatile trade.

Global shares were down 1.4 percent.

In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 index ended down 1.7 percent at 1,088.71, its lowest close since September 5.

The euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index fell 2.1 percent to 2,477.92 points, while the Euro STOXX 50 implied volatility index rose 10 percent, highlighting investors' concerns over the market outlook.

Tuesday was the worst day for euro zone stocks and the biggest rise for implied volatility since September 26, when violent anti-austerity protests hit Spain and Greece.

On Wall Street, the Dow and the S&P 500 indexes have given up all of their gains since the European Central Bank's Sept 6. announcement of a plan to buy bonds of troubled euro zone nations.

The S&P 500 was below its 50-day moving average of about 1,434, which had been a level of support and may now act as resistance if the market is able to rebound.

U.S. EARNINGS DISAPPOINT

A total of 145 of the S&P 500 companies have reported results so far. Sixty-three percent have missed analysts' expectations for revenue. By contrast, since 1994 an average of 62 percent of companies have exceeded estimates. Over the past four quarters 55 percent of companies have beaten.

Overall earnings for S&P 500 stock index companies are expected to fall 2.5 percent in the third quarter from a year ago.

On Tuesday, 33 S&P 500 companies are due to report earnings, including Netflix and Harley-Davidson . Facebook Inc is also scheduled to report after the bell.

SPAIN'S ECONOMY CONTRACTS AGAIN

In other European news, the Spanish economy, the fourth largest in the euro zone, contracted in the third quarter. according to the country's central bank.

The euro plunged versus the yen and hit a one-week low versus the dollar.

Financial markets are still waiting for a fiscal bailout request from Spain to trigger the European Central Bank's new bond-buying program, which many believe would draw a line under any threat of default from the euro zone's fourth-largest economy.

Yves Mersch, who has been nominated to serve on the ECB's Executive Board, told an audience in Berlin that while there was no limit to the amount of bonds the ECB could buy, there was a time limit.

Shortly before he spoke, Spain sold short-term debt, with yields rising slightly on three-month paper and falling on six-month paper.

Meanwhile, data showed business morale in France's manufacturing sector slumped to its lowest in over two years.

The data fueled fears that France, the euro zone's second-largest economy, may be on the brink of a recession, according to Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst, Western Union Business Solutions in Washington D.C.

"But despite the latest flare-up in worries about debt and growth in the euro region, the single currency may see its downside somewhat cushioned by expectations Spain may be weeks away from requesting an international bailout, allowing the country to tap the ECB's bond buying program to bring meaningful debt relief," he said.

BERNANKE ERA MAY BE CLOSING

In the United State, the Federal Reserve's policy committee began a two-day meeting on Tuesday.

The Federal Open Market Committee is likely to hold off from taking fresh steps at the meeting, opting to review the impact of the significant action it took last month and keep a low profile in its last gathering before the November 6 elections.

The New York Times reported Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has told close friends he probably will not stand for a third term at the U.S. central bank even if President Barack Obama wins the November 6 election.

Oil prices fell as commodity and equity prices were pressured by concerns about slowing global economic growth. Brent crude for December delivery fell $1.09 to $108.36 per barrel. U.S. December crude settled down $1.98, or 2.23 percent, at $86.67 a barrel.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was up 14/32 in price, with the yield at 1.7642 percent.

(Additional reporting by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian; Editing by Clive McKeef, Leslie Adler and James Dalgleish)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/global-stocks-euro-tumble-lackluster-earnings-spain-193053978--finance.html

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