This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/7920253.stm

The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 10 Version 11
European shares limp to a close Global markets continue to fall
(about 7 hours later)
After a volatile day's trading, European markets closed lower on Monday as investors continued to fear for the health of the global economy. After a volatile day's trading, US and European markets closed lower on Tuesday as investors continued to fear for the health of the global economy.
The UK's FTSE 100 was down 3.2%, France's Cac 40 dropped 1%, while Germany's Dax fell 0.52%. The UK's FTSE 100 was down 3.2% at a six-year low, France's Cac 40 dropped 1%, while Germany's Dax fell 0.52%.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones index opened up 1% but soon fell away following cautionary comments from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. On Wall Street, the broader S&P 500 index closed under the 700 level for the first time since October 1996.
Japanese stocks traded close to 26-year lows before staging a modest recovery. The Dow Jones index lost 0.55% following cautionary comments from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.
Mr Bernanke warned of stagnation if the US authorities did not move "aggressively" to stimulate the economy.Mr Bernanke warned of stagnation if the US authorities did not move "aggressively" to stimulate the economy.
Following his comments, the Dow traded down 30 points, or 0.4%, on the day. "His comments were a reality check for the market that nothing changed between yesterday and today," said Jim Awad, managing director at Zephyr Management in New York.
There's going to be more pain before there's a turnaround Lucinda Chan, Macquarie Private Wealth There's going to be more pain before there's a turnaround Lucinda Chan Macquarie Private Wealth
Earlier, the Nikkei 225 index fell sharply before recovering to close at 7229.7, down 0.69% on the day. "It renewed fears that there is no bottom in terms of toxic assets and no bottom in terms of need for capital."
Earlier, Japanese stocks traded close to 26-year lows before staging a modest recovery.
The Nikkei 225 index fell sharply before recovering to close at 7,229.7, down 0.69% on the day.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.9%, while India's main Mumbai index ended down 2.3%.Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.9%, while India's main Mumbai index ended down 2.3%.
Rebound? 'Global sell-down'
On Monday, the Dow Jones had fallen below 7,000 points for the first time since 1997.On Monday, the Dow Jones had fallen below 7,000 points for the first time since 1997.
"There's just a lot of fear driving the markets right now," said Lucinda Chan at Macquarie Private Wealth."There's just a lot of fear driving the markets right now," said Lucinda Chan at Macquarie Private Wealth.
"The market is consumed by the global sell-down at the moment, and I think there's going to be more pain before there's a turnaround.""The market is consumed by the global sell-down at the moment, and I think there's going to be more pain before there's a turnaround."
In Japan, analysts said talk of a fresh government stimulus plan was unlikely to help revive the stock market.In Japan, analysts said talk of a fresh government stimulus plan was unlikely to help revive the stock market.
"Unless markets overseas stop falling, there's nothing we can do, no matter how hard we try," said Yutaka Miura, an analyst at Shinko Securities."Unless markets overseas stop falling, there's nothing we can do, no matter how hard we try," said Yutaka Miura, an analyst at Shinko Securities.
On Monday, investor confidence was hit by a fresh $30bn bail-out of US insurance giant AIG following a record $62bn loss, and by the announcement from UK bank HSBC that it planned to raise £12.5bn from shareholders.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones fell by 4.2% to end at 6,763, the lowest closing level since April 1997.