· TSX -125.79 to 12,972.03 (CP)
o Sharply falling below 13,000 points again as nervousness about the American economy resurfaced. Investors became increasingly concerned about the worsening debt crisis in Greece. The warning worried investors that Greece's problems could spread to other financially troubled European countries like Spain, Portugal and Ireland.
· DOW -178.84 to 11,897.27
o Stock markets in the U.S. gave back all of the gains they made Tuesday — and then some, falling again below the 12,000 pt benchmark
· Dollar -1.06c to 102.15c USD
o The U.S. dollar strengthened against other currencies on concerns about Europe's economy, with the euro losing two per cent against the U.S. dollar.
· Oil -$4.56 to $94.81USD per barrel
o The financial crisis in Europe threatens to snuff out what's left of the four-month rally in oil that began in Libya. Europe consumes about 18 per cent of the world's oil, and ongoing economic troubles there could slow demand for oil. Oil tends to fall as the U.S. dollar rises because oil is priced in dollars and becomes more expensive for investors holding foreign currencies as the U.S. dollar gets stronger.
· Gold +$1.80 to $1526.20 per ounce
o The spread (based on the MERIX 5 yr published rate of 3.79%) has thankfully returned to the top of the comfort zone at 1.60.
o The spread based on the quick close of 3.59% is also more safely back to the bottom of the comfort zone at 1.40.
