Currencies

• EUR/USD The euro declined versus the dollar as speculation German Chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing for a Greek default curbed demand for the 17-nation currency.
  • German lawmakers stepped up their criticism of Greece last week, threatening to withhold aid unless it meets the terms of its austerity package.
  • The euro fell to $1.3495, the weakest since Feb. 16, before trading at $1.3545.
  
  

• USD/JPY The dollar declined against the yen in the early trading hours of Monday.
  • The dollar traded at 77.05 yen around 7:30 a.m. London time down from 77.50 earlier.
  
  

• GBP/USD The pound continued its decline against the dollar since Friday.
  • The U.K. currency traded at $1.5805 around 7:30 a.m. London time.

Commodities

• Gold fell for a second day as concern about a potential Greek default drove the dollar higher and some investors sold the metal to cover losses in other markets on speculation the European debt contagion is worsening.
  • Gold for immediate delivery declined as much as 0.7 percent to $1,842.25 an ounce, and traded at $1,852.85 at 10:54 a.m. in Singapore.
  • December-delivery bullion in New York shed as much as 0.8 percent to $1,844.60 an ounce before trading at $1,855.50.

• Oil slid in New York as investors speculate Europe's debt crisis will reduce demand for raw materials.
  • Crude for October delivery fell as much as $1.33 to $85.91 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $86.15 at 1:57 p.m. Sydney time.

Equities

• US Stocks fell as concern Greece's finances are deteriorating overshadowed President Barack Obama's $447 billion plan to stimulate growth.
  • Jo JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Hewlett-Packard Co. decreased more than 6.9 percent, while McDonald's Corp. (MCD) slumped 4.6 percent.
  • The S&P 500 fell 1.7 percent to 1,154.23 last week.
  • The Dow retreated 248.13 points, or 2.2 percent, to 10,992.13.


• European stocks fell amid concern policy makers won't be able to stop the region's sovereign debt crisis from growing and damaging the economic recovery.
  • Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS) and Barclays Plc (BARC) each sank 13 percent.
  • The U.K.'s FTSE 100 slid 1.5 percent.
  • France's CAC 40 Index declined 5.5 percent while Germany's DAX Index plunged 6.3 percent.

• Asian stocks fell amid speculation Greece may be nearing a default on its sovereign debt.
  • Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), the world's biggest carmaker, dropped 2.6 percent in Tokyo.
  • The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 2.2 percent to 118.12 at 1:18 p.m. in Tokyo.
  • Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average dropped 2.1 percent.
  • Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) slumped 3.4 percent.

Sources: Bloomberg, FT