European stocks lost big Thursday as Greek banks were cut loose from European Central Bank support and Spain's borrowing costs kept skyrocketing. The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, also warned today of the extremely expensive consequences of Greece leaving the currency bloc.
The European Central Bank in Frankfurt said Wednesday it is temporarily cutting off liquidity to Greek banks that are inadequately capitalized, pushing the onus of emergency assistance on the Greek central bank.
More Americans than expected filed for jobless benefits last week, echoing comments in the minutes of the April Federal Open Market Committee meeting that suggested policymakers feel unsure about the true state of the labor market.
Futures on major U.S. indices point to a flat opening on Thursday ahead of economic data including weekly jobless claims
Greece continued to weigh heavily on confidence Wednesday as bank customers there began sending cash out of the country or hiding it under their beds -- this despite hints from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that a stimulus would be forthcoming if the country stuck to its austerity commitments.
U.S. investors bought shares of industrials, airlines, gold mining companies and agricultural assets Wednesday as robust economic data offset fears stoked by the likelihood of Greece leaving the euro zone.
U.S. builders began work on more homes than expected in April, government figures showed on Wednesday. But the data suggested that builders might also be slowing their future construction plans.
Stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday as investors continued to worry about Greece's political and financial crisis as the country prepares for its second election in just over a month.
Stock index futures pointed to a lower opening on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones down around 0.1 percent, while the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.4 percent at 4:10 a.m. EDT.
Homebuilder confidence in the U.S. single-family home market rose to a five-year high in May as buyer traffic increased and sales improved, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index released Tuesday.
U.S. business inventories rose in March at a slower pace than economists predicted, even as sales rallied, a datapoint that shows firms have not been as confident as economists and equity investors that the current economic recovery will proceed at a firm pace.
Consumer prices in the U.S. were flat in April amid signs that a spike in gasoline costs was ebbing, according to government statistics released on Tuesday, supporting the Federal Reserve's view that the jump in fuel costs is only temporary.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with the futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones up 0.6 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.8 percent at 0733 GMT.
Political discord in Greece, voters punishing German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, lower euro zone manufacturing output and China freeing up cash for lending all contributed to a global stocks slide as investors pursued the safe havens of government debt and the dollar.
Global bank stocks fell Monday as investors panicked that a weekend electoral impasse in Greece might be a prelude to that country to leave the 17-member euro zone.
German government bond yields hit fresh all-time lows while Spanish borrowing costs rose sharply Monday as worries intensified over whether Greece is edging towards leaving the euro zone, sapping demand for riskier assets.
European stocks plunged Monday as fears that Greece will leave the euro zone turned into a virtual consensus about the debt-choked nation's departure. The downdraft also hammered U.S. stocks, which opened sharply lower.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday, with S&P 500 futures down 1 percent and contracts for the Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 down 0.9 percent.
U.S. stock index futures fell sharply on Monday, tracking global equity markets lower as a political impasse in Greece heightened concerns about the Europe's debt crisis as the region struggles to avoid a deepening recession.
China's announcement that construction was down and manufacturers bought less factory equipment in April drove oil prices down and caused concerns that the global economy was slowing down. These concerns were reflected in market activity.
Stock index futures fell on Friday and were on track to extend the week's losses after JPMorgan Chase & Co revealed a shocking trading loss of at least $2 billion from a failed hedging strategy.
Stock index futures fell sharply on Thursday evening as JPMorgan Chase & Co stunned investors with news that its chief investment office had incurred significant mark-to-market losses that it said could easily get worse.
