Stocks dip as debt jitters trump US data

Singapore -? The euro sank against the dollar and the yen on Monday and Asian stocks fell as renewed worries about the fallout from the European sovereign debt crisis overshadowed signs of vigour in the US economy.

The rising dollar dragged on commodity prices with oil, copper and gold all falling, while mixed signals on the global economy kept Asian credit markets subdued.

Data on Friday showed that while US employment growth accelerated last month, eurozone retail sales fell and economic sentiment soured at the end of 2011, pointing to recession in the currency bloc.

"If we didn't have Europe, this market would be rallying on the back of the US numbers," said Jamie Elgar, dealer at stockbrockers Burrell & Co in Brisbane.

Worries over Europe intensified with a debt rating downgrade to junk status for Hungary - a member of the European Union but not part of the eurozone - and a report in German magazine Der Spiegel that the International Monetary Fund was losing confidence in Greece's ability to clean up its public finances.

The euro fell to a 16-month low below $1.2670, and dropped as far as an 11-year low at ?97.47. The dollar, currently favoured by investors seeking a safe haven, rose 0.2% against a basket of major currencies.

Rob Ryan, FX strategist for BNP Paribas in Singapore, said the single currency was unlikely to see a sustained rebound unless the eurozone's economic outlook improved, adding that the euro could fall to $1.25 in coming months.

"We need to see the economic data halt its slide and I think we need to see banks start to lend to each other. Neither of those are going to happen overnight," he said.

Borrowing costs

With markets focused on concerns about rising borrowing costs in Europe, Friday's upbeat jobs data failed to perk up US stocks, and the weakness continued in Asia on Monday.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.7%. The index had finished the first week of 2012 slightly higher, after shedding 18% in 2011. Tokyo markets were closed for a holiday.

S&P 500 index futures fell 0.4%, pointing to a weaker start later on Wall Street, where the US corporate earnings season will kick off when aluminium producer Alcoa reports after the closing bell.

A stronger dollar tends to weigh on commodities that are priced in the US currency, and both precious and industrial metals lost ground.

Copper slipped more than 1% to around $7 500 a tonne, while gold fell 0.7%, getting close to the $1 600 an ounce level.

US crude oil fell 0.7% to below $101, after climbing above $100 a barrel last week as rising tensions between Iran and the West raised fears of supply disruptions. Brent crude dipped below $113 a barrel.

Source: http://www.fin24.com/Markets/International-Markets/Stocks-dip-as-debt-jitters-trump-US-data-20120109

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