US markets drift as Fitch cuts rating for Italy and Spain

08 Oct 2011 Evaluate

The US markets closed lower on Friday, denting weekly gains, as credit-rating cuts for Italy and Spain offset a better-than-anticipated payrolls report, prompting caution before the weekend. Ratings agency Fitch SA lowered local and foreign long term debt rating for Spain and Italy. Italian credit rating was lowered to A+ from AA- and Spain’s rating was cut to AA- from AA+. Fitch noted in its statement the euro crisis intensification, regional financial risk and the slower Spanish growth. The ratings agency left its rating on Portugal at BBB- and said it will review the rating again in the next few months. Also, Moody’s Investors Service lowered its ratings of twelve UK financial institutions. The move to lower the downgrade was driven the ratings agency’s belief that the British government was less likely to offer support in the event of financial stress.

Besides, Germany and France differ on how to access the rescue fund and Holland approved the expansion of European Financial Stability Facility. Slovakia and Malta, the only two remaining nations of the 17-member euro zone, are scheduled to approve the facility in the next few weeks.  Ahead of the opening bell, the Labor Department reported employers added 103,000 workers in September after a revised 57,000 increase the month before. The unemployment rate remained at 9.1% which is not a robust number but surely positive news as expectations were relatively low. It’s not enough to make a dent in the unemployment rate, but it indicates that US is not moving into a recession.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 20.21 points, or 0.18 percent, to 11,103.10. The Standard and Poor’s 500 closed lower by 9.51 points, or 0.82 percent, to 1,155.46, while the Nasdaq composite lost 27.47 points, or 1.10 percent, to 2,479.35.

The Indian ADRs closed mixed on Friday, HDFC Bank was down by 0.52%, Infosys Technologies was down by 0.37% and Wipro was down by 0.18%. On the flip side, Tata Motors was up by 0.40% and Sterlite Industries was up by 0.14%.

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