Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:43am EDT
PARIS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - European stocks were set to fall on Tuesday, adding to the previous session's dip as investors continue to book profits, worrying about whether debt-stricken Spain will request a bailout. At 0624 GMT, futures for the Euro STOXX 50, Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 were down 0.4-0.6 percent. On Monday, Spanish 10-year bond yields climbed back above 6 percent on concerns about whether or not Madrid would seek financial aid needed to trigger the European Central Bank bond buying programme that would help lower the country's borrowing costs. On Tuesday, the country is set to issue between 3.5 billion and 4.5 billion euros of 12- and 18-month bills, and will aim to raise the same amount in an auction of bonds maturing in 2015 and 2022 on Thursday. Demand for the short-term paper was expected to be strong, supported by potential future ECB purchasing, although any sign of weakness would spark doubt on more difficult sales of longer-term bonds on Thursday. "The return of tensions surrounding Spanish and Italian debt markets shouldn't last long, as the ECB is now offering a solution, so we don't expect a brutal correction in stocks," said Christian Parisot, head of global research at Aurel BGC, in Paris. "But despite all the good news we got during the summer, the upside potential for European stocks remains limited, with a banking union facing hurdles and a sluggish economic growth outlook." The euro zone's blue chip Euro STOXX 50 index has surged 26 percent since a low hit in early June, but faced resistance on Friday around 2,611 points, representing a high touched in March. On the downside, the index's next support level is at 2,556, representing the 23.6 percent Fibonacci retracement of the index's rise over the past three weeks. MARKET SNAPSHOT AT 0623 GMT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 1,461.19 -0.31 % -4.58 NIKKEI 9,123.77 -0.39 % -35.62 MSCI ASIA EX-JP 515.43 -0.41 % -2.14 EUR/USD 1.3085 -0.24 % -0.0032 USD/JPY 78.63 -0.06 % -0.0500 10-YR US TSY YLD 1.814 -- -0.03 10-YR BUND YLD 1.687 -- 0.00 SPOT GOLD $1,754.54 -0.36 % -$6.41 US CRUDE $96.15 -0.49 % -0.47 > GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares ease after Fed-led rally > Wall St closes lower after rally as oil prices drop > Japan's Nikkei rises as weak yen offsets China risks > U.S. 10-year notes rise on bargain hunting > Yen under pressure ahead of BOJ, euro near 4-month high > Gold slips after commods sell-off, off 7-month high > Copper eases for second day as stimulus rally sputters > Brent crude rises towards $114 after Monday's plunge COMPANY NEWS: EADS The U.S. Defense Department needs more details to be able to assess the security implications of a possible merger of BAE Systems and EADS , U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said on Monday. Separately, a plan to issue golden shares in a merged EADS and BAE Systems to France, Britain and Germany faces a close examination by EU regulators wary of the their impact on competition and free movement of capital across the 27-country bloc. DEBENHAMS Britain's No. 2 department store group, said it would meet forecasts for year profit after posting a rise in underlying sales in its final quarter, winning market share. GDF SUEZ The French government will seek to increase regulated gas prices by 2 percent on Oct. 1, rejecting the French utility's request for a 7 percent hike, a spokesman for the French energy ministry said. FIAT Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said the Italian automaker will not close any of its six Italian factories despite a plunging domestic car market, responding to calls for clarity about Fiat's future investment plans. TELECOM ITALIA MEDIA, MEDIASET Shares in TI Media rose sharply on Monday on reports about 10 companies had expressed an interest in buying the small Italian broadcaster, including sector leader Mediaset. Ansa newswire cited sources as saying News Corporation had presented an expression of interest. UBS Accused UBS "rogue trader" Kweku Adoboli lost 123,000 pounds ($200,000) on a spread-betting account in his last year at the Swiss bank even though he had been in trouble over personal trading and UBS had banned the practice, a British court heard. ASSICURAZIONI GENERALI S&P said on Monday it maintained the ratings on the Generali group on CreditWatch negative. The CreditWatch reflects the view that there is material uncertainty regarding the outcome of Generali's new strategy and the resilience of its balance sheet to risk and volatility in the domestic operating, economic and financial environments, S&P said. SEAT PAGINE GIALLE Seat PG said on Monday its board had identified Vincenzo Santelia as new Chief Executive to replace Alberto Cappellini who died in March. Cappellini had secured a deal with lenders that saved the directory publisher from bankruptcy. The current board will be replaced at a shareholders meeting on October 22. AREVA The French nuclear reactor maker and engineering consultancy Atkins have set up a joint venture to bid for decommissioning contracts in Britain's nuclear sector, the companies said.
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