Euro, Stocks Down | featured news

Stocks accelerated their post-election sell off across the board Wednesday, triggered by worries over the looming "fiscal cliff" and re-emerging fears over Europe's economy. The Dow fell below 13,000, while the S&P 500 traded under 1,400 for the first time since early September.

Stocks fell and the spread between Spanish and German bonds hit a record wide, as the prospect of fresh elections heightened concerns about the likelihood of Greece exiting the euro zone.

A top board member of the European Central Bank unexpectedly resigned on Friday in what analysts saw as further evidence of the deep divisions over how to resolve Europe’s growing debt crisis. The move immediately rattled European markets and the euro, which slipped to a six-month low against the dollar. The European Stoxx and German DAX indexes tumbled 3.5 percent.

The stock market tumbled again Thursday after another drop in the euro and disappointing U.S. employment news darkened investors already bleak view of the world economy. Interest rates fell sharply in the Treasury market as investors once again sought the safety of U.S. government debt.