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World markets hit hard by recession fears, corporate woes
AFP - Thursday, November 13
LONDON (AFP) - - Global stock markets suffered sharp falls Wednesday, rattled by further signs of recession in Europe and a shift in the US bank bailout strategy.
On Wall Street share prices plunged 3.18 percent by mid-day to 8,417.90 while the tech-heavy Nasdaq exchange had given up 2.84 percent to reach 1,536.02.
In Europe the London FTSE 100 index of leading shares shed 1.52 percent to close at 4,182.02 points after the Bank of England said the British economy was likely in recession already and also faced a distant deflation threat.
In Paris the CAC 40 fell 3.07 percent to 3,233.96 while in Frankfurt the Dax lost 2.96 percent to finish at 4,620.80 points.
Ealier in the day, Asian markets closed in negative territory, with sentiment dampened by plunging corporate profits and evidence of a steadily weakening global economy.
A sharp profit warning before the start of trade on Wall Street from the biggest US consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy, had cast a cloud over the session as investors anxiously await Friday's October retail sales report.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson later disclosed that the government's 700-billion-dollar rescue plan would focus now on capital injections to struggling banks but would also look at measures to help the "nonbank" financial sector under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
"Over these past weeks we have continued to examine the relative benefits of purchasing illiquid mortgage-related assets," he said.
"Our assessment at this time is that this is not the most effective way to use TARP funds, but we will continue to examine whether targeted forms of asset purchase can play a useful role."
In an appeal to banks, US regulators urged them to "fulfill their fundamental role" in the economy by maintaining lending to creditworthy borrowers.
A joint statement by the US Treasury, Federal Reserve and other bank regulators said the economic outlook could be worsened if banks retreat or tighten lending standards too much.
"Investors continue to accentuate the negatives and eliminate the positives," said Al Goldman of Wachovia Securities.
"This is a sign that bottom fishers/bargain hunters are not ready to buy at these levels," he added.
Markets in Europe initially gained some ground but reversed course in the wake of the Wall Street opening and as investors were hit by grim news from both Britain and Germany.
The Bank of England said in a quarterly report that the British economy "probably entered recession in the second half of 2008 and output is likely to contract further."
The BoE also used a chart to forecast a risk of British deflation in late 2009 should interest rates remain at the current rate of 3.0 percent.
The report's chart "shows a significant probability of deflation," said Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics in London.
Deflation is a protracted general fall in prices and a signal of serious recession, of which it may become a perpetuating factor.
In Germany, the eurozone's largest economy, a panel of top economists warned that economic growth would grind to a halt in 2009.
Gross domestic product (GDP) will grow 0.0 percent next year, after an expected gain of 1.7 percent this year, said the economists.
The government will publish figures for third-quarter growth Thursday and if it contracted for the second three-month-period running, as widely expected, the world's top exporter will already be officially in recession.
Elsewhere in Europe, there were declines of 3.03 percent on the Swiss Market Index, 2.33 percent in Milan, 2.97 percent in Madrid and 3.06 percent in Amsterdam.
Among the day's principal victims was Swiss insurer Swiss Life, which shed 20.05 percent after issuing a profit warning.
In Madrid the Santander bank lost 7.0 percent on the day while in Paris Natixis bank plunged 13.46 percent after denying a press report that it had lost 975 million euros in its market operations in October.
In Asia on Wednesday, Japan's largest advertising firm Dentsu Inc. said half-year net profits tumbled 44 percent as companies slashed spending, while Singapore Telecommunications posted a 12.1 percent fall in quarterly earnings.
Japanese consumer confidence hit a record low as Asia's largest economy showed fresh signs of stalling, a government survey showed.
Financial turmoil may be easing "but the fears of a global recession and poor corporate news are prevailing," said Alex Huang, an assistant vice president at Mega International Investment Services in Taipei.
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