BANGKOK — Asian stock markets fell Thursday over renewed fears that European leaders had not reached a consensus on a rescue plan to resolve the continent's debt crisis.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 1.1 percent to 8,674.78. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 2 percent to 17,937.62 and South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.5 percent to 1,847.17. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, mainland China, Indonesia and Australia were also lower.
Worries that Europe’s troubles could get worse have kept markets on edge for weeks. The Greek government is widely expected to go through some kind of default or restructuring of its debt, which could deliver a severe blow to an already weak European economy.
On Wednesday, the leaders of Germany, France, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank met to prepare for a summit scheduled for this weekend. Markets sank after a report that French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Germany and France were in a deadlock over how to expand the region’s emergency rescue fund.
The Dow closed at 11,504.62, a loss of 0.6 percent. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 1.3 percent to 1,209.88. An earnings report by Apple that fell short of forecasts helped send the Nasdaq composite down 2 percent to 2,604.04.
In the U.S., the government said homes were built in September at the fastest pace in 17 months, a hopeful sign for the struggling housing market. Additionally, consumer prices increased more slowly in September than the month before.
But the encouraging data was offset by a gloomier view of the economy from the Federal Reserve. A report known as the Beige Book found that businesses in some areas of the country were holding back spending because they were unsure of the economic outlook.
Benchmark crude for November delivery was down 42 cents at $85.86 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $2.24 to settle at $86.29 in New York on Wednesday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3714 from $1.3747 late Wednesday in New York. The dollar slipped to 76.75 yen from 76.78 yen.
