World Stock Markets Plunge as Global Crisis Deepens

THE GUARDIAN: Stock markets hit to their lowest level in 2012 as poor US jobless figures and weak manufacturing data from Europe sparked renewed fears of a global slowdown

World markets plunged to their lowest level this year as poor US jobless figures and weak manufacturing data from Europe sparked renewed fears of a global slowdown.

As traders sold off shares in favour of safer assets such as gold, the FTSE 100 in London fell 1.14% to close at 5260.19, its lowest level since 25 November last year. European markets also ended sharply lower, with Germany's Dax down nearly 3.5%, France's Cac down 2.2% and Spain's Ibex off by 0.4%. In the US, the Dow Jones industrial average had fallen more than 220 points - or 1.8% - by the time London closed. After overnight falls in Asia following signs of a slowdown in China, the MSCI world index hit its lowest level since December.

The day's economic data went from bad to worse, with the eurozone manufacturing sector suffering its worst month since June 2009 and its jobless rate hitting a record high of 11%. In the UK the manufacturing sector sufferered [sic] its second-biggest fall in 20 years, according to the latest purchasing managers' index. Read on and comment » | Nick Fletcher | Friday, June 01, 2012

Billions Wiped Off Europe's Biggest Companies as Political Rebellion Rocks Eurozone
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than £122.3bn was wiped off the value of Europe's biggest companies on Monday amid fears that the eurozone's commitment to austerity was being swept away by political rebellion - just as its debts hit record levels.

Stockmarkets plunged as traders panicked that Angela Merkel could lose her key allies in France and the Netherlands and that the debt crisis rescue plans could unravel.

The Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who is one of the eurozone's "hardliners" on fiscal discipline, dramatically quit in the wake of his coalition's refusal to accept Europe's debt pact. Snap elections could be called as early as June.

Traders were also rattled by Francois [sic] Hollande's victory over Nicolas Sarkozy in the first round of the French presidential election. The socialist Mr Hollande has vowed to renegotiate the fiscal pact that including a 3pc of GDP deficit limit. » | Louise Armitstead | Monday, April 23, 2012

Les Bourses européennes dans la tourmente
LE FIGARO: Le CAC 40 perd plus de 3% et s'enfonce sous les 3800 points. Londres et Milan suivent le même chemin tandis que Francfort lâche 5%. Les opérateurs s'inquiètent de l'aggravation de la situation nucléaire du Japon.

Encore une journée morose à la Bourse de Paris. Le CAC 40, qui a plongé sous les 3900 points hier, reste ce mardi ancré dans le rouge. Après un démarrage en forte baisse de 2,17% à 3793,95 points, l'indice phare de Paris creuse ses pertes et lâche 3,43% à 3744 points vers 10h30. À Londres et Milan, les Bourses suivent le même chemin et abandonnent également plus de 3%. La Bourse de Francfort creuse ses pertes à près de -5%.

Les indices ont du mal à retrouver le chemin de la hausse alors que la situation nucléaire japonaise s'est encore aggravée. Une nouvelle explosion et un incendie ont eu lieu au sein de la centrale de Fukushima Dai-ichi. «Le niveau de radioactivité a considérablement augmenté» et devient dangereux pour la santé, a déclaré le premier ministre japonais, Naoto Kan, à la télévision, provoquant un vent de panique sur les marchés d'Asie. La Bourse de Tokyo, pour sa part, s'est écroulée de 10,55%. » | Par Hayat Gazzane | Mardi 15 Mars 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: London joins global sell-off as Japan crisis fuels panic: London shares fell sharply on Tuesday as investors in Europe joined a global market sell-off that started with a 10.55pc plunge in the Nikkei as panicked investors dumped stocks in the face of an escalating nuclear crisis in Japan. » | Tuesday, March 15, 2011