Currencies

• EUR/USD The dollar increased as Asian stocks extended a worldwide rout in equities amid speculation European banks lack sufficient capital.
  • The dollar advanced to $1.4304 per euro as of 1:41 p.m. in Tokyo from $1.4333 in New York yesterday.


• USD/JPY Stock market declines around the globe sent the safe-haven yen higher in Asian trading on Friday, with no signs that the equities sell-off was running out of steam.
  • The U.S. currency bought 76.50 yen from 76.58, after earlier gaining to 76.95.

• GBP/USD The pound depreciated versus the dollar in the early trading hours of Friday.
  • The pound was trading at $1.64951 around 7:30 a.m. London time after reaching $1.65325 yesterday.

Commodities

• Gold climbed to an all-time high as growing concern that the global economy is slowing urged demand for a safer asset.
  • Immediate-delivery bullion, which touched a high of $1,839.30 an ounce, rose 0.8 percent to $1,838.70 at 10:52 a.m.
  • The December-delivery contract climbed as much as 1.1 percent to a record $1,841.80 an ounce on the Comex in New York.

• Oil fell in New York as investors bet fuel demand will falter amid signs of weaker growth in the world's biggest crude consumers.
  • U.S. oil supplies are 4 percent higher than the five-year average after unexpectedly rising last week.
  • Crude for September delivery dropped as much as $1.72 to $80.66 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $81.32 at 2:34 p.m. Sydney time.

Equities

• U.S. stocks tumbled amid growing fears of a global recession, as investors received a mix of U.S. economic data and fresh concerns about Europe's banks.
  • Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and FedEx Corp. (FDX) fell at least 4.9 percent.
  • The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dropped 53.24 points, or 4.5%, to 1140.65.
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down 419.63 points, or 3.7%, to 10990.58.


• European stocks and U.K. stocks fell amid renewed concern that global growth is slowing.
  • The FTSE 100 Index (UKX) slid 4.5 percent to 5,092.23 at the 4:30 p.m. close in London.
  • Germany's DAX retreated 5.82 percent and France's CAC-40 declined 5.48 percent.

• Asian bank fell amid signs the world economy is slowing and Europe's debt crisis will damage the banking system.
  • Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (8306), Japan's biggest bank by market value, dropped 1.7 percent in Tokyo.
  • The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 3.1 percent to 119.34 as of 2:42 p.m. in Tokyo.
  • Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 2.4 percent.
  • Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 2.7 percent.

Sources: Bloomberg, FT