• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

European shares fall further after US retail sales

Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:40am EST

Stocks

   

LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - European shares fell further on Wednesday afternoon, with the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 down 2.7 percent, after U.S. December retail sales came in weaker-than-expected.

Stocks  |  European Markets  |  Global Markets

The U.S. Commerce Department said total retail sales fell 2.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted $343.2 billion last month following a revised 2.1 percent drop in November.

December's drop was the biggest since October last year when sales fell 3.4 percent.

Banks were the main drag on the FTSEurofirst 300 index, with HSBC (HSBA.L) down 9.9 percent, Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) off 10 percent and Barclays (BARC.L) losing 13.4 percent. (Reporting by Dominic Lau)

Stocks
European Markets
Global Markets


More from Reuters

Afghan insurgents kill CIA agents, Canadians

KABUL (Reuters) - Insurgents intensified their campaign against military targets and U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, killing eight U.S. CIA agents at a base and four Canadian servicemen on patrol and a journalist accompanying them.

» More Top News
A security camera sits on a building in New York City March 6, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

Trial run in Times Square

Critics say the Sept. 11 trials will endanger America's most populated city. Will a New Year's Eve plan hold up as New York's security template?  Full Article 

U.S.
People walk past a branch of Bank of America in New York's financial district April 28, 2009. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Rolfe Winkler:

Move your money

Boycotting "too big to fail" banks is a great idea -- so long as investors remember that banks aren't the only ones responsible for the crisis.  Full Article 

    Commentary