Voice of America
21 May 2020, 18:35 GMT+10
European markets are all down in midday trading Thursday as bad economic news from Japan, and China's worsening trade and diplomatic relations with Australia and the United States, are having a ripple effect with investors across the globe.
The FTSE index in London is 0.9% lower, the CAC-50 in Paris has lost 1% and the DAX index in Frankfurt has plunged 1.3% lower.
Thursday's trading doldrums began in Asia, with Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index losing 0.2% at its closing bell after the government announced that Japan's exports fell 21.9% last month, the biggest drop since the 2008 global financial crisis. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 0.4%, while Shanghai closed 0.5% lower and the S&P/ASX 500 in Sydney was down 0.4%.
Seoul and Taipei provided the regions few bright spots, earning 0.4% and 0.9% respectively.
Monday's major rally on global markets after news of a potential coronavirus vaccine have faded after Beijing imposed massive tariffs on Australian barley imports, plus the Trump administration's increasingly heated rhetoric against China over its initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, which was first detected late last year in Wuhan.
The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are all 0.5 lower in futures trading, indicating a lower opening on Wall Street Thursday as investors brace for another grim unemployment report from the Labor Department.
Oil markets are in positive territory Thursday, with U.S. crude trading at $34.13 per barrel, up 1.9%, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, is trading at $36.37 per barrel, up 1.7%.
Get a daily dose of Santa Barbara Post news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Santa Barbara Post.
More InformationFRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...