Markets shaken up again by US jobs data
Spain's blue-chip Ibex 35 loses over three percent as jitters strike again
Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic suffered renewed sharp falls after the latest employment figures out of the United States reignited fears of a double-dip recession in the world's largest economy, and the consequences of that for activity on a global level.
The US economy failed to add any jobs last month, when experts were expecting an increase of around 75,000. "The economy is slowly grinding to a halt," Reuters quoted Steve Blitz, senior economist at ITG in New York, as saying.
As a result, Wall Street opened sharply lower, bringing the European markets down with it. In Spain, the blue-chip Ibex 35 closed down 3.40 percent at 8,463.50 points. The blood-letting extended across Europe where the DAX in Frankfurt fell 3.36 percent, while the Euro Stoxx 50 index gave up 5.52 percent.