Global Markets, U.s. Equities | featured news

The European economy was once again the focus of Wall Street Wednesday morning after Germany enacted a ban on a certain form of short-selling. Europe's monetary woes have dragged on U.S. equity markets for months as investors weigh the potential long-term impact of a sluggish economy in the region and the possibility that this slowness could upend the global financial recovery. Stateside economic data on consumer prices, meanwhile, continues to point to a slow--but steady--recovery. Stronger than expected earnings reports from Hewlett-Packard, Deere and Target did little to lift stocks in early trading.