Fears that growth in China is weakening and falling Asian stocks conspired with the on-going European debt crisis to give investors greater concern for the safety of US debt. As a result, two-year Treasury yields fell to a record low today while 10-year yields fell below 3 percent.
“If you look at the Chinese stock market, it looks particularly ugly, and China has a tendency to lead in the ‘rest-of-the-world’ category,” said a trader in London.
In Europe the FTSEurofirst index of top European shares lost around 1.9 percent, with euro zone bank funding worries ahead of the repayment of 442 billion of European Central Bank emergency loans adding to concerns.
“A lot of (negative sentiment) is still emanating from concerns over Europe and the European banking system and the impact that might have if it rolls out globally,” said David Page, economist at Investec.
Source: Reuters
