Analytics, News, and Forecasts for CFD Markets: stock news — 23-05-2012.

European stocks slid the most in a month amid growing concern that Greece may leave the euro as the region’s leaders prepared to meet in Brussels.

Greece’s former Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said that while it is unlikely the nation will leave the euro, it’s still a risk, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday after the close of European trading.

European leaders are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the region’s debt crisis that has wiped about $4 trillion from equity markets worldwide this month. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been unable to stifle calls for measures she opposes, including euro bonds, the use of European money to recapitalize banks, a bigger rescue fund and extra time for debt-swamped countries to cut spending.

National benchmark indexes fell in all the western European markets today, except for Iceland. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 lost 2.5 percent and Germany’s DAX slid 2.3 percent. France’s CAC 40 sank 2.6 percent.

LSE plunged 7.3 percent to 947 pence, the biggest drop since November 2009. UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s biggest banks, sold about 31 million shares at 960 pence apiece, according to statements from the lenders.

FirstGroup Plc rallied 7.4 percent to 220.1 pence. Britain’s largest train operator boosted full-year earnings 90 percent and said it would accelerate an asset-disposal program in its bus division.

U.S. stocks fell, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average toward the lowest level on a closing basis this year, amid concern Greece may leave the euro and as Dell Inc. tumbled on a disappointing revenue forecast.

Stocks fell even after a report showed that demand for new U.S. homes increased more than forecast in April as low prices and mortgage interest rates drew buyers.

All 10 groups in the S&P 500 retreated today as commodity, technology and financial shares had the biggest losses. Citigroup fell 2.4 percent to $26.27. Bank of America (ВАС) slid 1.3 percent to $6.89.

Technology shares, which comprise 20 percent of the S&P 500, retreated 1.6 percent as 66 of its 71 stocks retreated.

Dell tumbled 18 percent, the biggest decline in the S&P 500, to $12.42. The forecast, paired with a first-quarter sales and earnings miss, pointed to problems endemic to Dell, Steve Felice, Dell’s president, said in a conference call. The sales team focused on individual products instead of packages of hardware and software, he said.

Some of the largest technology companies retreated. Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), which reports quarterly results after the market close, slumped 4.5 percent to $20.80. Intel Corp. (INTC), the world’s biggest chipmaker, declined 3.7 percent to $25.06.

Facebook added 3.6 percent to $32.11. The shares fell below its $38 IPO price on May 21. The offering valued Facebook at 107 times trailing 12-month earnings, more than every S&P 500 member except Amazon.com Inc. and Equity Residential. The slump reinforced concern that the IPO was priced too high.

Ford Motor Co. jumped 1.4 percent to $10.33. The automaker was raised to investment grade by Moody’s Investors Service yesterday, enabling Executive Chairman Bill Ford, great-grandson of the founder, to reclaim the blue oval logo he put up as collateral for a loan.

U.S. stock futures declined amid concern that Greece may leave the euro as the region’s leaders meet in Brussels.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei  8,556.6 -172.69 -1.98%

Hang Seng 18,786.19 -252.96 -1.33%

Shanghai Composite 2,363.44 -9.87 -0.42%

FTSE  5,314.7 -88.58 -1.64%

CAC  3,032.66 -51.43 -1.67%

DAX 6,351.72 -83.88 -1.30%

Crude oil $91.44 (-0.45%)

Gold $1563.50 (-0.83%)

Asian stocks fell, with the regional benchmark index snapping a two-day rally, as concerns mounted that Greece may exit the euro zone and the Bank of Japan refrained from deploying further monetary stimulus, dimming the outlook for exporters.

Nikkei 225 8,556.6 -172.69 -1.98%

Hang Seng 18,786.19 -252.96 -1.33%

S&P/ASX 200 4,067.04 -53.97 -1.31%

Shanghai Composite 2,363.44 -9.87 -0.42%

Cosco Pacific Ltd., which operates container facilities at Greece’s Piraeus port, fell 4 percent in Hong Kong.

Mitsui & Co., a Japanese trading company, slid 1.6 percent after the nation’s trade data missed estimates.

Quanta Computer Inc. led computer makers lower in Taiwan, dropping 4.2 percent, after bellwether Dell Inc. forecast slower sales.

Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co. slumped 24 percent in Hong Kong on a report regulators are investigating the drugmaker for suspected financial fraud.

Asian stocks rose for a second day on speculation China and Europe will do more to bolster economic growth, boosting the outlook for the region’s exporters.

Nikkei 225 8,729.29 +95.40 +1.10%

S&P/ASX 200 4,121 +47.38 +1.16%

Shanghai Composite 2,369.97 +21.67 +0.92%

LG Electronics Inc., South Korea’s electronics maker that depends on Europe for 16 percent of its sales, rose 7.6 percent.

Guangzhou R&F Properties Co. led Chinese developers higher as a leading index rose and after a report the country will bring forward infrastructure investment.

Woori Finance Holdings Co. jumped 6.5 percent in Seoul as South Korea’s top financial regulator said the government needs to cut its stake in the company.

Change % Change Last

Nikkei 225 8,729.29 +95.40 +1.10%

S&P/ASX 200 4,121 +47.38 +1.16%

Shanghai Composite 2,369.97 +21.67 +0.92%