France's CAC 40 sank 0.8 percent to 5,445, while Britain's FTSE 100 tumbled 0.9 percent, to 7,445.
Bangkok (AP) - European stocks followed Asian markets lower Thursday as yields on U.S. Treasury yields surged to multi-year highs after Federal Reserve officials expressed confidence in the economic expansion.
KEEPING SCORE: France's CAC 40 sank 0.8 percent to 5,445, while Britain's FTSE 100 tumbled 0.9 percent, to 7,445. The DAX in Germany was flat at 12,292. The S&P and Dow futures both lost 0.4 percent, auguring a dismal start for Wall Street.
ASIA'S DAY: India's Sensex tumbled 2.2 percent to 35,237.49 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index sank 1.7 percent to 26,623.87. Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.6 percent to 23,975.32, while the Kospi in South Korea sank 1.5 percent to 2,274.49. Australia alone posted gains, as the S&P ASX 200 jumped 0.5 percent to 6,176.30. India's Sensex lost 1.8 percent to 35,332.22. Shares also fell in Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand. Markets in mainland China are closed for a weeklong holiday.
BONDS SURGE: The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note spiked to its highest level in more than seven years and was hovering at 3.22 percent Thursday. The surge in bond yields has been driven by U.S. interest rate hikes, buttressed by bullish commentary from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and other U.S. central bank officials.
INDIAN SELL-OFF: Shares sank in India on concerns over continued weakness in the rupee and over the country's trade deficit thanks to surging costs for oil imports. Reports said the commerce minister planned to convene a meeting Thursday to discuss the problem. The rupee was trading at 73.71 to a U.S. dollar after hitting a record low of 73.81. The currency has lost 15 percent this year.
ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 18 cents to $76.23 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It jumped 1.6 percent to settle at $76.41 a barrel in New York. U.S. crude hit four-year highs this week. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 19 cents to $86.10 per barrel. It rose 1.8 percent to $86.29 a barrel in London.
CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 114.25 from 114.48 yen. The euro was up at $1.1504 from $1.1475.
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