World stocks fall amid US jobs, housing gloom
BANGKOK (AP) — World stock markets fell Friday as gloomy economic reports from the world's two biggest economies heightened fears of a
sharper global downturn. In Europe, leaders were set to weigh options for fixing the continent's debt crisis.
The leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Spain are gathering in Rome on Friday to try to hammer out proposals for easing the widening financial crisis spreading across the 17-member euro currency union.
Concrete proposals will be brought to a wider gathering of EU leaders on June 28 and 29.
European stocks dropped in early trading, mirroring losses in Asia. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.9 percent at 5,516.30. Germany's DAX fell 1 percent to 6,277.90 and France's CAC-40 slipped 0.8 percent to 3,089.24.
But Wall Street appeared headed for a higher opening, a day after the Dow sustained its second-worst loss of the year. Dow Jones industrial futures rose 0.4 percent to 12,546 and S&P 500 futures added 0.4 percent to 1,323.50.
