Euro eases ahead of Portuguese parly vote

tsunami and nuclear crisis weighed on Asia stocks yesterday, and the euro eased ahead of a parliamentary vote in Portugal that could see the government fall.
Major European share markets were expected to open down around 0,4 percent, according to financial bookmakers in London, while S&P 500 futures fell 0,3 percent, pointing to a weaker start on Wall Street.
Oil was steady, after gaining on Tuesday as violence in Libya and unrest in Yemen fuelled worries of supply disruptions. Turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East also supported safe-haven demand for gold. Japan’s Nikkei fell 1,7 percent as investors took profits from a two-session bounce. Japanese stocks remain around 8 percent below their close on March 11, the day northeast Japan was struck by an earthquake and tsunami.
The disaster left more than 23 000 people dead or missing, crippled a nuclear power plant that has been leaking radiation and hit production at major companies such as Sony Corp and Toyota Motor. A Japanese government report estimated the damage from the disaster at around US$200-US$300 billion and said planned power outages would have a “significant” additional impact.
“It is not that the market is ignoring fundamentals. We just do not know them yet, as many companies are still gathering information about damage sustained during the disasters,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex Inc.
Underlining the continuing risks, the United States became the first country to block food imports from parts of Japan due to radiation fears. – Reuters.