Asian markets dropped on Thursday, despite Wednesday’s rally in Western markets. Korea’s Kospi sank 1.5%, weighed down by LG Electronics, which tumbled 14%. Australia’s ASX 200 slipped .3%, and the Hang Seng lost 2.5%, as heavyweight HSBC dropped nearly 3%. The Shanghai Composite inched up .2%, bucking the trend, and Japanese markets were closed for a holiday.
European shares rallied, amid hopesGreecewould abandon a plan for a referendum on last week’s bailout package. The CAC40 rallied 2.7%, the DAX jumped 2.7%, and the FTSE rose 1.1%. The ECB unexpectedly cut interest rates by .25%.
European leaders pledged thatGreecewould not receive any additional aid if it did not approve last week’s bailout package.
Dow Rallies more than 200 Points
Qualcomm shares soared 7.5% after beating analyst forecasts and raising its outlook. In contrast, Kellogg shares sank 7.6% after issuing a weak outlook.
Currencies
The Dollar remained under pressure despite the ECB’s rate cut. The Euro rose .7% to 1.3813, recovering from an earlier drop down to 1.3658. The Australian Dollar rallied 1% to 1.0406, and the Canadian Dollar jumped .8% to 1.0075, as investors flocked to risk. The Pound and Swiss Franc both rose .7%, and the Yen inched up .1% to 78.05.
Economic Outlook
Weekly jobless claims dropped to 397K, 9000 less than last week, and better than forecast. Worker productivity jumped to 3.1%, more than expected, and factory orders unexpectedly rose by .3%.