10/09/2001

Stock markets worldwide in steady decline

Sparking renewed fears of a global recession share prices continued to fall worldwide, as global stock markets remained in the grip of a steady decline that only looks set to intensify.

For the first time in nearly three years, the FTSE 100 index has fallen below the 5,000 mark, while similar scenes are being played out across Europe and Asia, with Japan hit the hardest. The Nikkei 225 plummeted to a 17-year low amid rumours that recovery from the country’s current financial crisis will necessitate slow and painful economic reforms.

Following last Friday’s market slump – thanks to a higher-than-expected rise in the US unemployment rate - the gloomy situation affecting global stock markets is starting to look less like a fluctuation, and more of a permanent feature of the economic landscape – one which is set to impact on the financial sector as a whole.

As ever-increasing proportions of pension funds and other savings schemes are tied up in stock and shares, even the smallest and most indirect investor will see less in return. Confidence is also another important factor affected by such downturns, leading to drops in consumer spending, falling corporate profits and a weaker national currency. Early indications of such a malaise came when the initial fervour of the dot-com craze gave way to a rather starker reality, creating a mood of discontent amongst many personal investors.

Nor is there much hope of any stabilisation in the market slump, as analysts looked ahead with trepidation to Friday, when a new round of economic data will be released, detailing US retail performance and industrial output. (CL)

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