Currencies

• EUR/USD The euro fell versus the dollar and yen on speculation an economic slowdown in the region will pressure the European Central Bank to consider cutting interest rates.
  • The euro dropped 0.4 percent to $1.3806 as of 6:18 a.m. in London from yesterday in New York.

• USD/JPY The yen slumped the most since 2008 against the dollar as Japan stepped in to foreign-exchange markets to weaken the currency for the third time this year after its gain to a postwar record threatened exporters.
  • The yen depreciated 3 percent to 78.17 per dollar at 5 p.m. New York time, after touching the post-World War II high of 75.35.

• AUD/USD The Australian dollar fell for a third day against its U.S. counterpart after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates for the first time in 2 1/2 years on signs global growth is moderating.
  • The Australian dollar slid 0.8 percent to $1.0444 at 4:49 p.m. in Sydney from yesterday, when it dropped 1.6 percent..

Commodities

• GOLD prices ended lower as the dollar-denominated metal struggled to shake off Japan's intervention in the global currency market.
  • The front-month gold contract, for November delivery, lost $22.00, or 1.3%, to settle at $1,724.20 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

• Oil dropped for a third day in New York on speculation commodity demand will falter as Chinese manufacturing slows and European leaders struggle to contain the region's debt crisis.
  • China's Purchasing Managers' Index fell for the first time in three months in October.
  • Oil for December delivery declined as much as 93 cents to $92.26 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $92.40 at 2:23 p.m. Singapore time.

Equities

• US Stock slumped, amid concern European leaders will struggle to raise funds to contain the region's sovereign debt crisis.
  • The S&P 500 dropped 2.5 percent to 1,253.30 as of 4 p.m. New York time.
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 276.10 points, or 2.3 percent, to 11,955.01 yesterday.


• European Stocks dropped, as some investors remain reluctant to buy equities before the euro area's leaders explain how they will fund their expanded bailout facility.
  • The U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index slid 2.8 percent.
  • France's CAC 40 Index (CAC) and Germany's DAX Index both retreated 3.2 percent.

• Asian stocks fell for a second day as China's manufacturing grew at a slower pace.
  • The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 1.2 percent to 120.31 as of 12:43 p.m. in Tokyo.
  • Japan's Nikkei 225 (NKY) Stock Average lost 1.1 percent.
  • Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 1.4 percent while China's Shanghai Composite Index was little changed.

Sources: Bloomberg, FT