* Apple leads global tech stock shakeout
* European auto stocks hit on Ghosn arrest
* Weak U.S. home builder sentiment hits dollar
* Oil falls half a percent on global economic worries
* Markets no longer pricing in ECB rate hike in 2019
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2018 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
By Abhinav Ramnarayan
LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - World stock markets fell on Tuesday as worries over softening demand for the iPhone prompted a tech stock selloff across the world, while the arrest of car boss Carlos Ghosn pulled Nissan 7201.T and Renault RENA.PA sharply lower.
Meanwhile the dollar sagged on worries about the U.S. economy after a steep drop in home builder sentiment and oil prices fell half a percent despite OPEC production cuts in what was a brutal day for investors' risk sentiment.
News around Apple Inc AAPL.O triggered the latest bout of stock market selling, after the Wall Street Journal reported the consumer tech giant is cutting production for its new iPhones. hit world stock markets with the European tech sector .SX8P sinking 2 percent and hitting its lowest level since February 2017 as stocks supplying chips to Apple suffered, following Asian tech stocks lower.
The selloff was compounded by an auto sector drop led by Nissan and Renault after Ghosn, chairman of both carmakers, was arrested in Japan for alleged financial misconduct.
The European auto sector .SXAP was not far behind, dropping 1.6 percent, and the broad European STOXX 600 index .STOXX was down 0.9 percent to a four-week low.
"Most of Europe had a red session yesterday and that has been compounded by the news on Apple and tech stocks overnight, The overall climate is risk off," said Investec economist Philip Shaw.
"Beyond stocks, the Italian bonds spread (over German bonds) is at its widest in about a month now, and Brexit continues to rumble on - uncertainty is very much hurting risk sentiment," he added.
Italian government bond yields IT10YT=RR jumped to one-month high on Tuesday and Italian banking stocks .FTIT8300 dropped to a two-year low, hurt by risk aversion and concerns over the Italian budget. GVD/EUR
Euro zone money markets no longer fully price in a 10 basis point rate rise from the European Central Bank in 2019, indicating growing investor concern about the economic outlook in the currency bloc. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS dropped 1.2 percent, with Samsung Electronics 005930.KS falling 2 percent. In Japan, Sony Corp 6758.T shed 3.1 percent.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 slipped 1.1 percent, with shares of Nissan Motor Co tumbling more than 5 percent after Ghosn's arrest and on news he will be fired from the board this week. stock markets have suffered a sharp shakeout in the past two months, pressured by worries of a peak in corporate earnings growth, rising borrowing costs, slowing global economic momentum and international trade tensions. Trillions of dollars were wiped off equities in a particularly torrid October month.
In currencies, the dollar struggled at a near two-week low against a basket of currencies. .DXY
Data released on Monday showed U.S. home builder sentiment recorded its steepest one-month drop in over 4-1/2 years in November. dollar had also been weighed down after Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida and Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan raised concerns late last week about a possible global slowdown.
The U.S. currency has rallied strongly this year, buoyed by three Fed rate increases and a robust economy, though some expect the bull run may be nearing an end.
Oil prices lost steam as fears about slower global demand and a surge in U.S. production outweighed expected supply cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). O/R
Brent crude LCOc1 slipped 0.9 percent to $66.21 per barrel.
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