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

GLOBAL MARKETS-Euro wavers amid EU woes, Asian shares falter

Published 03/24/2010, 11:45 PM
Updated 03/24/2010, 11:56 PM

* Euro wobbles around 10-month low amid Greece debt crisis

* Market awaits EU summit after euro zone talks fizzle

* Portugal credit downgrade adds to sovereign debt worries

* Japanese stocks flat, other Asian shares fall 0.4 pct

By Nick Macfie

SINGAPORE, March 25 (Reuters) - The euro hovered near 10-month lows on Thursday as a credit downgrade on Portugal added to worries about debt levels in Greece and other parts of Europe, weighing on riskier assets such as shares and commodities.

Investors were waiting for an EU summit on Thursday and Friday for any signs of assistance for Athens, after efforts to arrange a special euro zone meeting failed, with France and Germany discussing what role the IMF might play. [nLDE62N2R1]

The euro edged up 0.1 percent from late U.S. trade to $1.3326

Diplomatic efforts on the eve of the EU summit failed to bridge differences over whether to offer a safety net to Greece.

"Germany does not want to have a meeting of euro zone leaders unless there is a definite chance for a deal," an EU diplomat said.

Worried by the signals this would send, another envoy said: "If there is no meeting of euro zone leaders, we can expect markets to see that negatively as a sign that the Europeans are unable to reach an agreement (on Greece)."

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

The euro is expected to remain weak unless a divided EU manages to break its deadlock over how to help Greece, a trader at a Japanese bank said.

"Sentiment for the euro has further deteriorated as it still looks as if euro zone nations are in a state of chaos over a rescue plan," the trader said.

The MSCI index of Asian shares outside Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> fell 0.4 percent, with Hong Kong shedding more than 1 percent, as concerns about weakness in Europe prompted investors to move out of riskier assets.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei average <.N225> edged up 0.1 percent as exporters such as Canon Inc <7751.T> were supported by a weaker yen, offsetting weakness in commodity related shares.

Wall Street fell overnight as the Portugal downgrade and a weak U.S. Treasury note auction fanned worries about sovereign debt, eclipsing data showing U.S. durable goods orders rose for the third straight month, which confirmed its economic recovery was on course. [.N]

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> closed down 0.48 percent, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 0.55 percent.

The dollar largely held on to its broad gains against the euro on Wednesday, which in turn pushed down prices of commodities denominated in U.S. dollars.

The dollar index, a gauge of its performance against other major currencies, was trading around 81.865 <=USD> <.DXY>, after touching a 10-month high of 82.026 on Wednesday.

Against the yen, the dollar slipped 0.4 percent to 92.02 yen

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

Spot gold

NYMEX crude for May delivery fell 30 cents to $80.31, after tumbling $1.30 on Wednesday.

Shanghai's benchmark third-month copper futures contract fell to 58,900 yuan a tonne, lowest since March 16, before recovering to 59,040 yuan by midmorning, down 0.4 percent from the previous close.

U.S. Treasuries, which typically are a safe haven when risk appetite ebbs, were also hit by poor demand in an auction of five-year notes, which left investors apprehensive about a massive supply of new debt in the next few days. [US/] (Additional reporting by Timothy Heritage in Brussels and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo) (Editing by Kim Coghill)

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.