U.S. stocks look lower, Europe flattens out

ByABC News
October 21, 2008, 8:28 AM

— -- Wall Street headed for a lower open Tuesday, following solid gains in Asia but a fading rally in Europe.

Some pullback in stocks was to be expected as investors cash in profits from Monday's big gains. Still, market anxiety appears to have lessened considerably compared with the previous two weeks, when fears about tightening world credit battered stocks around the globe.

The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up only 0.17% in early afternoon trading. Germany's DAX was down 0.23%.

France's CAC-40 index of leading shares rose more strongly after the French government said it would inject a total of euro10.5 billion ($14 billion) into the country's six largest banks by year-end to help counter the effects of the global financial crisis. The CAC was up 1.59%.

Overnight, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained a strong 3.3% following the 413.20 point, or 4.7%, jump in the Dow Jones index Monday to 9,265.43.

"A strong finish on Wall Street last night as the previously frozen credit markets continue to thaw following recent government intervention has lifted sentiment in many Asian markets," said Matt Buckland, a dealer at CMC Markets.

Stock markets have been buoyed this week by the fall in interbank lending rates in light of the flurry of government efforts to put money into banks, and by coordinated interest rate reductions and massive short-term credits to banks by central banks.

"Calmer markets are the definition of the 'success' of the enormous measures announced," said Stephen Jen, global head of currency research at Morgan Stanley.

Overnight, the Hong Kong interbank offered rate, also known as Hibor, for three-month loans continued to slide, falling from 3.66% to 3.35. Hibor's decline follows Monday's 0.36% drop in the equivalent three-month dollar loans to 4.06%.

Abnormally high interbank lending rates have been a sign of distress in credit markets and been the catalyst for the crisis in the financial markets over recent weeks. High interbank rates can choke off credit to businesses and individuals, hurting the economy.