From Craig James, Commsec Chief Economist

MORNING REPORT - (8am AEDT) US Philadelphia Fed factory activity fell from 8.7 to 3.6 in November. The result was below economist expectations of a result around 8.0. On a positive note the more forward looking indicator of business conditions six-months from now rose sharply from 27.2 to 41.9 - the highest reading in almost 7 years.

US jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 388,000 in the past week - marking the lowest reading in 9-months. US housing starts fell 0.3pct in October, while housing permits rose by 10.9pct in October - suggesting a pickup in residential construction in coming months.

European shares fell sharply to six-week lows on Thursday. Investors dumped risky asset after bond auctions in Spain and France saw yields rise significantly. In fact the Spanish 10yr bond auction recorded the highest borrowing costs since 1997. The FTSEurofirst index fell 1.3pct, while the German Dax 1.1pct while the UK FTSE lost 1.6pct.

US sharemarkets fell slumped on Thursday. The upbeat US economic data provided a degree of support in early trade, however markets sold off sharply as investors grew more concerned that the euro zone debt crisis was spreading from peripheral to key economies in the region. Losses accelerated after key support levels were breached. The S&P Energy index lost 2.5pct while the material index fell 3.2pct. At the close the Dow Jones was lower by 135pts or 1.1pct. The S&P 500 was down 1.7pct and the Nasdaq was lower by 51pts or 2pct.

US long-term treasuries rose on Thursday (yields lower) as investors shifted to safe-haven US government bonds. US 2yr yields rose 2pts to 0.27ct and US 10yr yields fell 3pts to 1.96pct.

The euro gave back early gains against the greenback as investors shifted back to safe-haven currencies late in US trade. The Euro hit early lows near US$1.3440 before rising to highs around US$1.3540 and was near US$1.3465 in late US trade. The Aussie dollar fell from highs near US101.15c to US99.75c, and was near US99.85c in late US trade. And the Japanese yen traded between 76.90 yen per US dollar to JPY77.05, and was near JPY76.95 in late US trade.

US crude oil prices fell on Thursday as investors locked in profits after prices surged to five-month highs. The Nymex crude oil price fell by US$3.77 or 3.7pct to US$98.82 a barrel while London Brent crude fell by US$3.59 to US$108.29 a barrel.

Base metal prices fell on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday as traders grew more concerned that the euro zone debt crisis will hurt the demand for commodities. In China the Commerce Ministry cautioned that the country´s export outlook could be weak for the next few months as Europe struggles to contain its crisis. Aluminium lost 2.8pct while copper gave back 2.5pct. And the gold price in line with other commodities. The Comex December gold price fell by US$54.10 an ounce or 3pct to US$1,720.20.

Ahead: In Australia, no economic data is released. In the US, the Leading indicators index is released.