It's a downbeat day for stocks around the world following reported terrorism in Jakarta, Indonesia
For the most part, stocks in Asia followed the
bearish lead of Wall Street, with additional fears springing from a series of explosions in Jakarta, possibly linked to ISIS. Japan's Nikkei skidded to a 2.7% loss after core machinery orders plunged. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi slid 0.9% following the central bank's decision to keep interest rates as is, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave back 0.6%. Breaking with the trend lower was China's Shanghai Composite, which bounced back from early losses to gain 2% amid a stabilizing yuan.
European markets are also taking it on the chin, with traders rattled by potential terrorism in Indonesia, as well as new 12-year lows for Brent crude futures. At last check, London's FTSE 100 is down 1.4%, after the Bank of England voted to stand pat on interest rates. Elsewhere, the German DAX is off 2.1%, while the French CAC 40 has fallen 2.2% amid reports of an emissions fraud investigation into Renault -- sending the automaker's shares down 10% in Paris. Separately, the European Central Bank's December meeting minutes were just released, revealing a number of policymakers want deeper rate cuts.
