Saudi Crown Prince, Iranian president discuss regional developments in Eid phone call    Rain expected in Makkah and Jeddah on Saturday    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    China retaliates against Trump's trade war with 34% reciprocal tariffs on US goods    Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli escalation, targeting of civilians and Saudi warehouse in Gaza    Danish PM dismisses US desire to annex Greenland 'You cannot annex another country'    Macron lashes out against Trump's 'brutal' tariffs, calls for a pause in investment    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    New Laws of Commercial Registration and Trade Names take effect on Thursday    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







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World stocks mixed as investors mull US bank plan
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 26 - 02 - 2009


Asian markets retreated Thursday, with
benchmarks Hong Kong and South Korea sinking about 1
percent, after an early rally faded amid doubts about a
U.S. plan to stabilize banks and worsening prospects for
global companies. European shares opened higher, AP reported.
Japanese stocks, higher in the morning, closed little
changed even as the weakening yen hovered near three-months
lows against the dollar, easing pressure on exporters.
China's markets took the day's biggest beating as
enthusiasm for Beijing's stimulus measures runs low and the
economic outlook remains grim.
Across the region, investors appeared unconvinced by U.S.
Treasury Department's plan to «stress test» 19 of the
largest banks to determine whether they can endure a severe
downturn in the economy. Under the plan, any companies that
fail under two economic scenarios would be required to
raise private funding or accept government stakes.
A lack of specifics about the government's rescue program
had weighed on markets in recent weeks. While modestly
encouraging, details released overnight weren't enough to
persuaded investors the plan is a surefire solution to U.S.
financial problems at the core of the worst global slump in
decades.
«Investors are confused. They want to be positive, but
there's increasingly nagging doubt that we're anywhere near
a complete solution,» said Kirby Daley, senior strategist
at Newedge Group in Hong Kong.
In Europe, markets were higher as the Royal Bank of
Scotland posted a record net loss of 24.14 billion pounds
($34.4 billion) for 2008 _ the biggest in British corporate
history _ and announced a massive program to divvy up many
of its international businesses.
As the markets opened, Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 2.1
percent, Germany's DAX added 1.7 percent and France's CAC
40 gained 1.4 percent.
Earlier in the day, Asian markets started to giving back
their gains by the afternoon, showing the uncertainty still
clouding the outlook for the region's equities markets.
Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average closed largely flat, off
just 3.29 points at 7,457.93 after being up more than 1
percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.85 percent to
12,894.94 and South Korea's Kospi was traded lower by 1.2
percent to 1054.79.
In mainland China, the Shanghai benchmark plunged 3.9
percent to 2,121.25. The index, while still up over 16
percent for the year and among the world's best performers,
is well below its highs in 2009.
Stock measures in India, Thailand and the Philippines also
traded lower, while markets in Australia and Taiwan rose.
Singapore was flat.


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