* U.S. retail sales fall
* Geithner says U.S. financial system starting to recover
* Euro zone industrial output drops more than 20 percent
* China April factory output disappoints, retail sales up
* World stocks drop, Dow falls more than 2 percent (For full crisis coverage, double click on [nCRISIS])
By Brian Moss
NEW YORK, May 13 (Reuters) - U.S. consumers took the wind from the sails of optimists looking for a swift end to the recession on Wednesday as April retail sales fell, signaling they are not yet ready to lead the world back to growth.
Following a report of diving European industrial output and a Bank of England forecast saying Britain needed a long period of healing, hopes slipped for a quick rebound for the global economy.
"This would deal a considerable blow to the 'green shoots' talk and it's possible that would hit some of the recent optimism in the markets and hurt risk appetite," said Robert Blake, senior currency strategist at State Street Global Markets in Boston.
World stocks, which have been gaining as investors sensed the beginnings of a recovery, dropped, with the Dow Jones Industrial average falling 2.2 percent. [MKTS/GLOB] The dollar gained against most major currencies as worries that the recession could continue enhanced the safe-haven allure of the U.S. currency. [ID:nN13326237]
Oil continued to fall back from its Tuesday six-month high over $60 on demand concerns, settling in New York at $58.02. [ID;nN13353521]
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the U.S. financial system is starting to recover and lending is starting to improve. He said he would soon propose a fund backed by large financial institutions that cover the risk of some of those companies failing. [nN13442156]
"We have already seen a substantial amount of adjustment in our financial system," Geithner told an audience of community bankers. "The more vulnerable parts of the nonbank financial system no longer exist."
CONFOUNDED
Sales at U.S. retailers fell for a second straight month in April, government data showed. This confounded analysts' forecasts of no change, and of even a small rise when disastrous motor vehicle sales were excluded. [ID:nN13384420]
Total sales, which had earlier shown signs of revival, dropped 0.4 percent. Excluding motor vehicles and parts, the fall was even bigger at 0.5 percent, the Commerce Department said. [ID:nCAT002638]
"The back-to-back gains we had in January and February, which had helped inspire hopes that we were getting out of this recession, just got dealt a significant blow," said David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities in New York.
As if to reinforce the data, big, midprice U.S. department
store chain Macy's Inc
Later in the day, Reuters reported General Motors Corp
Euro zone industrial output plummeted by more than 20 percent in March, official data showed, pointing to a sharp contraction in first-quarter economic output. [ID:nLD862718]
"There are no green shoots here; everything is either a quarter or a fifth down on the year," said Stuart Bennett, European economist at Calyon. "This sure is a horrible number," added Kenneth Broux, economist at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets.
"SOLID REASONS"
The Bank of England offered little relief in its quarterly economic forecast, predicting a slower British economic pickup than it had previously expected.
"Now the economy requires a period of healing. That will take time," Governor Mervyn King told a news conference. [ID:nLD56256]
Any recovery was far from certain to last despite all the emergency treatment given to economic and financial systems.
"There are pretty solid reasons for supposing that there will be a recovery next year, but also pretty solid reasons for questioning if that will be sustained," King said. "It would be extremely unwise for anyone to claim that they know what the future is to hold."
Reuters polls of more than 200 economists across Europe, Japan and the United States showed that they think the world's richest nations will put recession behind them this year, but when growth returns it will be sluggish. [ID:nLC801126]
In China, supposedly a beacon of light during the world recession, industrial production figures also proved a disappointment. But at least they showed growth.
Chinese shoppers seem to be pulling their weight. Retail sales grew 14.8 percent year-on-year in April, up slightly from 14.7 percent in March. [ID:nPEK234664]
"It is important not to attach too much importance to one particular data point and to recognize that any recovery in China is not going to proceed in a straight line," said Brian Jackson, an economist with Royal Bank of Canada in Hong Kong.
Europe produced mixed earnings reports, including a
bigger-than-expected loss by Dutch financial group ING
World stocks, as measured by the MSCI all country index <.MIWD00000PUS>, were down 2.3 percent after two consecutive days of moderate losses. The Standard & Poor's 500 index <.SPX> fell 2.7 percent. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> was down 2.45 percent. (Reporting by Reuters correspondents worldwide; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)