2013-02-21 10:43:52
Global stock markets have fallen after some members of the US central bank
suggested its stimulus measures may be increasing the "risks of future economic
and financial imbalances".
The comments came in minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting, where the
Fed said it had left its monthly $85bn bond-buying plan in place.
US stocks recorded their biggest drop so far this year.
Subsequently, markets in Asia and across Europe also saw big falls.
On the foreign exchanges, the dollar rose against other major currencies.
Bubble bursts
The Fed comments have raised expectations that the US central bank may scale
back its bond-buying programme earlier than predicted.
Currently, the Fed is carrying out its plan of buying $85bn of bonds a month
until the US jobs market sees a substantial improvement.
By buying bonds, the Fed keeps interest rates low, which keeps the cost of
borrowing for mortgages and other loans low.
However, the minutes of the Fed's meeting in January showed that some members
were concerned that the bond-buying programmes could push up inflation or could
"foster market behaviour that could undermine financial stability".
The minutes said that "a number of participants" commented that an ongoing
review of the effectiveness of the bond programme "might well lead the
committee to taper or end its purchases before it judged that a substantial
improvement in the outlook for the labour market had occurred".
US Dollar v Euro
Last Updated at 21 Feb 2013, 12:06 GMT *Chart shows local time USD:EUR intraday
chart
$1 buys change %
0.7587 +
+0.01
+
+0.74
The bond-buying programme has been cited as a major reason for the rise in
share prices in recent weeks, so signs of a premature end have hit stocks.
"US liquidity concerns following the Fed minutes looks like the pin which will
burst the recent bubble in equities," said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives
at Interactive Investor.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones index ended down 108.13 points at 13,927.54.
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 159.15 points, or 1.4%, to 11,309.13, while in
Hong Kong the Hang Seng index closed down 400.74 points, or 1.7%, at 22,906.67.
European markets all opened lower, with London's FTSE 100 down 1.6% at 6,295.72
and Frankfurt's Dax index also dropping 1.6% to 7,604.96.
The dollar rose 0.6% against the euro on Thursday, with one euro buying
$1.3192, and also gained against the pound, with one pound buying $1.5221.
While the dollar had been boosted by the Fed minutes, the euro was also hit by
the latest survey of the eurozone region which suggested the downturn in the
region's businesses had worsened.
The latest eurozone purchasing managers' index (PMI), compiled by research firm
Markit, fell to 47.3 this month, down from 48.6 in January. A reading below 50
indicates contraction.
The figure was the lowest reading for two months and appeared to dash hopes
that the eurozone's economy would show signs of revival.
It also indicated a growing divergence between Germany and France, with output
rising in Germany but declining at an increasing pace in France.