| Stocks were slightly softer as the euro and Bund yields rose after improving bank lending in the eurozone reduced expectations for more stimulus from the European Central Bank. The FTSE Eurofirst 300, a pan-European equity gauge, fell 0.5 per cent, also dragged lower by resources groups as the prices of base metals and oil relapse. The FTSE Asia Pacific index shed just 0.1 per cent.
Both regions have received little impetus from the US, where the S&P 500 was flat overnight and briefly flirted with two-month highs before slipping 2.89 points to 2,030.77 by the close. That leaves the Wall Street benchmark, which tends to determine the global mood, only about 5 per cent below its record hit in May, having bounced 8.7 per cent from its August lows...............................................Full Article: Source
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