Equities
Selling pressure hit Asian markets, as rising interest rates in Italy and Spain triggered nervous selling. The Nikkei dropped .7% to 8542, the Kospi declined .9%, and the ASX 200 skidded .4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell .8%, while the Shanghai Composite bucked the downtrend, closing up fractionally.
European markets closed lower in a volatile session, as a spike in French interest rates hurt financial shares. The CAC40 slumped 1.9%, as BNP Paribas and Societe Generale both tumbled more than 5%. The DAX declined .9% and the FTSE closed down fractionally, recovering from a sizable loss earlier in the day. Italy’s new prime minister, Mario Monti succeeded in forming a government, helping stocks pare their early losses.
Afternoon Rally Helps FTSE Pare Losses
In the US, stocks gained, led by the Nasdaq, which rallied 1.1%. The Dow closed up 17 points to 12096, and the S&P 500 rose .5% to 1258.
Staples shares dropped 3.6% after reporting weak sales and cutting its profit forecast. Wal-Mart dropped 2.4% after falling short of analyst forecasts.
Currencies
The Dollar advanced for a second day. The Euro fell .6% to 1.3535, the Pound declined .5% to 1.5814, and the Swiss Franc slumped .8% to 1.0924. The Canadian Dollar fell .4% to 1.0212, while the Yen inched up .1% to 77.06.
Economic Outlook
Tuesday’s economic data projected a healthy outlook for the US economy. Retails sales rose by.6%, more than forecast, and the Empire State manufacturing survey unexpectedly climbed, snapping a 5-month losing streak. PPI unexpectedly fell thanks to a drop in commodity prices.