Stock futures fall on concern over Europe’s banks
U.S. stock futures are falling Thursday as the European debt crisis again becomes the key driver of market sentiment.
Stock markets in London, Germany and France have all declined. The euro has dropped to a 15-month low against the dollar.
The concern in the markets has centered on the state of Europe’s banks following UniCredit’s announcement Wednesday that it was selling new shares at a large 69 percent discount to Tuesday’s closing price.
Banks are an integral part of the debt crisis because they hold government bonds. A default or steep fall in the value of government bonds could inflict heavy losses on banks and choke off credit to the European economy. That’s why regulatory authorities want Europe’s banks to raise their buffers by euro115 billion (149 billion) over the next few months. The worry in the markets is that banks will have to offer sharp discounts to raise the funds.
U.S. economic reports have the potential to shift sentiment. Key releases later Thursday include the Institute for Supply Management’s monthly survey of the services sector as well as indicators on the pace of hiring in the private sector.
The latter may affect market expectations for Friday’s closely-watched nonfarm payrolls data for December. The figures often set the market’s tone for a week or two after their release. The expectation is that the U No teletrak payday loan.S. economy generated around 150,000 jobs during December.
Positive economic news propelled U.S. stocks to a big rally on Tuesday. Those gains held Wednesday as automakers reported strong sales in December.
Less than two hours before trading opens in New York, futures on the Dow Jones industrial average are down 55 points to 12,301. Futures for the broader S&P 500 index have fallen 7 points to 1,266.
European stocks fell, though most indexes remained higher for the year so far. Germany’s DAX was down 0.7 percent at 6,066 while the CAC-40 fell 1 percent to 3,163. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was 0.7 percent lower at 5,629.
Earlier in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.8 percent to close at 8,488.71. South Korea’s Kospi index lost 0.1 percent at 1,863.74, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.5 percent to 18,813.41. Benchmarks in Singapore and Taiwan were also higher.
Mainland China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1 percent to 2,148.45, its lowest level in almost three years. The Shenzhen Composite Index lost 3.5 percent to 813.99. More than 100 companies plunged to the daily limit of 10 percent.