Sharemarkets across the globe slumped on Thursday on fears that the US and major European economies were at risk of slipping back into recession. US long-term bond yields slumped alongside commodity prices with the Aussie dollar down over US2.5 cents.

But the economic data wasn´t dire. In the US, jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 423,000 in the latest week, close to the consensus result. The leading index rose 0.3pct in August, above forecasts for a 0.1pct rise. And home prices rose 0.8pct in July after a 0.7pct lift in June according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

In Europe, the FTSEurofirst index fell by 4.7pct to 26-month lows. The German Dax lost 5.0pct while the UK FTSE fell by 4.7pct and the French CAC fell by 5.2pct. Mining stocks were hard hit. In London trade shares in BHP Billiton lost 8.3pct while Rio Tinto fell by 10.8pct.

US sharemarkets fell in line with other global bourses on Thursday. The Dow Jones closed lower by 391pts or 3.5pct after being down 528pts with 35 minutes left to trade. The S&P 500 finished down by 3.2pct and the Nasdaq fell by 82pts or 3.3pct.

US long-term treasuries rose sharply (yields lower) on Thursday. Investors reacted to falling prices on equities markets as well as Wednesday´s Federal Reserve decision to buy long-term government debt. US 2yr yields were steady near 0.20pct while US 10yr yields fell by 15pts to a record low of 1.72pct.

The US dollar rose against the Euro and commodity currencies as investors flocked to safe-haven currencies. The Euro fell from highs near US$1.3570 to US$1.3390 before ending the US session near US$1.3470. The Aussie dollar fell from highs around US100.40c to US96.90c and ended US trade near US97.40c. And the Japanese yen held between 76.10 yen per US dollar to JPY76.80, and ended New York trade at JPY76.25.

Global crude oil prices fell sharply in line with other commodity and equities market on Thursday on fears of weaker global economic growth. Nymex crude oil fell by US$5.41 or 6.3pct to US$80.51 a barrel and London Brent crude fell by US$4.87 a barrel or 4.4pct to US$105.49 a barrel. Nymex is currently near US$80.30 a barrel.

Base metal prices slumped between 3.9-8.4pct on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday on fears that North Atlantic countries may slip back into recession. There was also concern about a decline in the Chinese manufacturing gauge with the HSBC PMI falling from 49.9 to 49.4 in September. And the Comex December gold price fell by US$66.40 an ounce or 3.7pct to US$1,741.70. Gold is currently hovering near US$1,740 an ounce.

Ahead: In Australia, the Reserve Bank releases the Financial Stability Review. In the US, no major economic data is due for release. The G20 finance ministers continue their two-day meeting.