Stock Drop Pulls 38 Indexes Into Bear Market; Banks Lead Plunge

[marmar]

from Bloomberg:



Stock Drop Pulls 38 Indexes Into Bear Market; Banks Lead Plunge

By Alexis Xydias

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Almost half of the world's biggest stock indexes fell into a bear market as mounting concern about a U.S. recession dragged down banking and retail shares across Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The MSCI World Index's 3 percent decline yesterday, the steepest since 2002, left benchmarks in France, Mexico, Italy and 35 other countries at least 20 percent below their highs in the last year. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index may post its biggest decline since 2001 when the U.S. market resumes trading today after the Martin Luther King Day holiday, futures showed.

UBS AG and Bank of China Ltd. led financial companies lower after banks lost more than $100 billion on credit investments. Bang & Olufsen A/S and Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB were among consumer stocks that tumbled amid signs the world's biggest economy is shrinking. Even with MSCI World valuations at the cheapest since at least 1995, some of the biggest investors say stocks may fall further.

``I'm struggling to find a catalyst that will turn this market around,'' Bob Parker, who helps oversee more than $600 billion at Credit Suisse Asset Management in London, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. ``What we need is evidence that the write-offs in the financial-services sector are behind us, and we are probably only going to get that in the second quarter. Clearly the market situation is fairly ugly at the moment.'' .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aieeL_MC5X4s&refer=home

[Pale Blue Dot]

1. This is going to make anything the candidates say a moot point. nt