Get 40% Off
🚨 Volatile Markets? Find Hidden Gems for Serious Outperformance
Find Stocks Now

GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, euro fall on banking fears, G7

Published 02/16/2009, 04:21 AM
Updated 02/16/2009, 04:24 AM

* MSCI world equity index falls 0.6 percent to 207.18

* Banking fears, G7 disappointment weigh on investor morale

* Euro weaker

By Natsuko Waki

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - World stocks and the euro fell on Monday as fresh concerns about the banking sector and the lack of concrete action by Group of Seven finance chiefs fanned worries about the deteriorating global economy.

Safer government bonds, which typically attract capital in times of falling risk aversion, gained as a result.

Shares in part-nationalised Lloyds Banking Group fell more than 20 percent at one point, having lost a third of its value on Friday when the bank said its HBOS unit made a hefty loss last year due to a bigger-than-expected rise in bad loans.

At a weekend meeting in Rome, G7 finance ministers and central bankers said they would do all they could do to fight recession but their statement lacked specifics to tackle the worst financial crisis in 80 years.

The scale of the problems they face were underscored by data on Monday showing Japan sank deeper into recession with its economy suffering its worst quarterly contraction in 35 years.

"There was not much reassurance coming out of G7," said Justin Urquhart Stewart, director at Seven Investment Management. The MSCI world equity index and the FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares were both down about 0.6 percent. Emerging stocks fell 1 percent. The euro fell a quarter percent to $1.2755.

3rd party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Investing.com. See disclosure here or remove ads .

U.S. crude oil lost 0.4 percent to $37.37 a barrel. The March bund futures rose 15 ticks.

G7 financial chiefs made no specific reference to the yen's strength or sterling's weakness -- two currencies which investors had speculated could figure in the statement.

The yen was down a quarter percent at 91.94 per dollar. Sterling traded at $1.4270, about 0.5 percent higher on the day. In Asian trading, sterling had slipped on speculation that British authorities were comfortable with its recent slide.

The dollar hit a two-month high against a basket of major currencies, up 0.7 percent on the day.

"There was nothing controversial in the G7 statement, so it is very much back to square one for the currency market now," Brown Brothers Harriman said in a note to clients.

"The main themes still relate to de-leveraging and to trying to assess which country is proving more aggressive or efficient in trying to tackle the financial market crisis. Here, we believe that the greenback will remain a winner." (Additional reporting by Peter Starck, editing by Swaha Pattanaik)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.