* U.S. indexes drop, give up earlier gains
* Pan-European index edges down
* China stocks tumble 5 pct
* Oil prices extend slide, off more than 3 pct
(Adds opening of U.S. markets, changes dateline; previous
LONDON)
By Lewis Krauskopf
NEW YORK, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Global stock indexes fell on
Monday, continuing a brutal start to 2016, as China's market
tumbled again and the decline in oil prices worsened.
The main U.S. indexes gave up earlier gains in morning
trading, which came after the S&P 500 .SPX and the Dow .DJI
posted their worst five-day start to the year in history. The
pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 was off 0.2
percent, also after rising earlier in the session.
Fears over China's economy contributed to last week's
declines, and the main Shanghai stock indexes .SSEC .CSI300
each ended down more than 5 percent on Monday. Perceived
missteps by China's authorities have stoked concerns in global
markets that Beijing might lose its grip on economic policy,
even as the No.2 economy looks set to post its slowest growth in
25 years.
"The Chinese situation sets the agenda right now in
combination with oil prices," said Hans Peterson, global head of
asset allocation at SEB investment management.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was down 30.75
points, or 0.19 percent, at 16,315.7, the S&P 500 .SPX shed
6.77 points, or 0.35 percent, to 1,915.26 and the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC lost 25.97 points, or 0.56 percent, to
4,617.66.
Investors were looking to U.S. corporate earnings to help
provide confidence, with Alcoa (N:AA) AA.N posting results later on
Monday and major banks reporting later this week, despite
expectations for a second quarter of overall declining earnings.
"The mentality has been pretty negative and I don't see that
changing this morning or today until there is more meat on the
bones from a data standpoint," said Michael James, managing
director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles.
MSCI's broadest gauge of stocks globally .MIWD00000PUS
slipped 0.6 percent, after registering its biggest weekly
decline in more than four years.
Oil prices plummeted to 12-year lows, with U.S. crude
futures falling to the lowest since late 2003, as traders cited
fears over slowing demand in China and a growing inventory glut.
U.S. crude prices fell 4.3 percent to $31.72 a barrel, while
benchmark Brent dropped 5 percent to $31.83 a barrel.
"China has torpedoed the hopes of the optimists," David
Hufton, of oil brokers PVM Oil Associates, said in a note.
Still, U.S. Treasury yields inched higher as concerns over
global growth eased, leading traders to sell some safe-haven
U.S. government debt.
Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR were down 5/32 in price
to yield 2.1472 percent, from 2.131 percent late on Friday.
"Last week, Treasuries rallied because Chinese stocks fell
and today Chinese stocks fell, but we didn't rally, suggesting
the panic from last week seems to have subsided," said Ian
Lyngen, senior government bond strategist at CRT Capital in
Stamford, Connecticut.
The U.S. dollar .DXY was up 0.2 percent against a basket
of currencies, while the euro fell 0.7 percent against the
dollar.
"Modestly improved risk sentiment was enough to cause the
euro to lose some ground against the U.S. dollar," said Joe
Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business
Solutions in Washington.
Spot gold XAU= fell 0.5 percent but still hovered at more
than two-month highs.
China's volatile markets http://link.reuters.com/myh35w
Currencies vs dollar http://link.reuters.com/tak27s
Oil prices http://link.reuters.com/beb23v
Commodities performance http://link.reuters.com/rac73w
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