Active Stocks
Wed Apr 10 2024 12:02:16
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 165.55 -0.24%
  1. NTPC share price
  2. 367.35 1.18%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,542.60 -0.39%
  1. Wipro share price
  2. 475.45 -0.07%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 283.80 1.01%
Business News/ Opinion / Online-views/  World markets slump before US bailout vote
BackBack

World markets slump before US bailout vote

World markets slump before US bailout vote

Premium

London: Global stock markets tumbled Monday as US Congress was to vote on a multi-billion dollar bailout deal and as the ongoing financial crisis forced the state rescue of two European banks, dealers said.

US lawmakers agreed over the weekend to a $700 billion bailout for debt-stricken Wall Street banks and sent the legislation aiming to stem the US financial crisis for Congress to start voting on Monday.

“There’s an agreement in place for the $700 billion bailout but in this market, no one is taking any chances and we must wait until the vote to confirm it has passed," said City Index market strategist Joshua Raymond.

Meanwhile in Europe, Belgian-Dutch banking and insurance group Fortis sealed a multi-national bailout over the weekend, while the British government on Monday announced it would nationalise troubled mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley.

In addition, global central banks pumped extra cash into the financial system as part of continued efforts to keep credit flowing.

Amid all the intervention, London’s stock market dived 2.49% to 4,962.02 points in morning deals.

Paris shares plunged 2.83% to 4,054.44 points and Frankfurt tumbled 2.84% to 5,891.42 points.

In Asia, Hong Kong share prices closed down 4.3% on Monday, Tokyo fell 1.26%, Sydney lost 2.0% and Seoul dropped 1.35%.

“The (European) government bailouts have served to highlight that the financial turmoil which originated in the US is clearly a global problem," said Lee Hardman, an analyst at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in London.

Sentiment was also hit after German bank Hypo Real Estate was granted a “multi-billion euro" credit line from a consortium of German banks that allowed it to avoid declaring bankruptcy.

Hypo Real Estate shares collapsed by 64.2% to euro4.84 in Frankfurt. German peer Commerzbank tumbled 21.5% to euro11.315.

Fortis shares dived 18.9% in morning trading on the Amsterdam stock exchange. Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg officials had announced an euro11.2 billion plan on Sunday to partially nationalise Fortis.

In Paris, French banks Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas saw their share prices dive by 6.84% and 6.27%, to stand at euro13.415 and euro63.98 respectively.

In London, B&B shares were suspended at Friday’s closing level of 20 pence.

Doubts linger

Meanwhile, there were still doubts about the proposed US financial rescue package, which needs to be approved by Congress and offers no guarantee of an end to the credit crunch that has ravaged global markets, dealers said.

“In our view, while the ‘bailout plan´ reduces the risk of a systemic collapse, many downside risks remain - not least those related to a protracted slowdown in the global economy," said Barclays Capital analyst David Woo.

Woo added: “The weakness in equities ... suggests the market is pessimistic about the likely effectiveness of the (US) Treasury’s plan."

The US deal, announced just hours before Asian markets opened, is designed to mop up toxic debts from struggling banks and prevent further financial chaos that could tip the world’s largest economy into recession.

The unprecedented bailout, worth up to $700 billion, would be the largest government economic intervention since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and aims to shore up an economy in the face of a severe housing slump.

With markets still skittish, the Australian and Japanese central banks pumped more emergency funds into the short-term money markets on Monday.

The European Central Bank announced a special 38-day euro loan to provide eurozone banks with more cash in a bid to balance conditions on extremely tense interbank money markets.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 29 Sep 2008, 03:28 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App