ROME: European stocks fell for the third time in four days as investors speculated whether Greece will reach an agreement with creditors before it runs out of time and money.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index declined 1 percent to 396.45 at the close of trading, after losing as much as 1.3 percent. The ASE Index dropped 2.5 percent to the lowest level in almost a month, as Greek markets reopened after a holiday.
Greece’s prime minister said his government submitted a new plan aimed at ending a stalemate, just as creditors met to finalize theirs. European leaders and the head of the International Monetary Fund gathered last night in Berlin to work out ways to avert a Greek default. The country owes four payments to the IMF this month, and its aid package backed by the euro region expires at the end of June.
“Clearly there’s still a lot of negotiations to go,” said Ben Kumar, who helps oversee about $12 billion at Seven Investment Management in London. “Central-bank action is already factored in, as are corporate earnings. That leaves Greece as the one thing to look at right now. We see headlines everyday saying this is getting serious. Eventually, people get bored. They’ve been hearing it for months.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-02/european-index-futures-advance-as-greece-talks-set-to-intensify
