Global Markets, Stocks Down | featured news

Markets declined on Friday in the wake of President Obama’s jobs speech that added to the uncertainty already weighing on global markets over the euro zone.

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.