Boston bombings add to concerns in markets - The Associated Press | Outlook data
(The Insider Stories) - The sense of caution in financial markets continued Tuesday after deadly bombings at the finish line in the Boston Marathon, according to a report by The Associated Press in the Jakarta Post.
Investors have been spooked over recent trading sessions by the declines recorded in commodity prices — not just gold — as well as a run of disappointing economic data from the U.S. and China, the world’s two-largest economies.
Monday’s explosions in Boston, which killed three people, provided investors a stark reminder of the threats posed by terrorists to a fragile global economic recovery.
“The Boston bombings have only added to the sense of unease amongst investors …. equity markets have slipped in the past few days on worries that the U.S. and Chinese economies have hit an air pocket of economic activity,” said Neil MacKinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.5 percent at 6,312 while Germany’s DAX fell 0.4 percent to 7,6745. The CAC-40 in France was 0.5 percent lower at 3,690.
Wall Street was poised to recoup some of Monday’s heavy losses with both Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures up 0.6 percent. How they actually open could hinge on a raft of U.S. corporate earnings and economic data that are due before the bell. Inflation and industrial production figures are likely to garner the most attention.
