The euro fell against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday after data showing a surprise deterioration in business morale in Germany stoked fears of slowing global growth and weighed on a gauge of world equity markets.
The decline in the Munich-based Ifo economic institute’s business climate index bucked expectations for a small improvement and sent U.S. Treasury yields reeling as investors piled into safe-haven bonds.
Reports of a sharp slowdown in Australian inflation also lifted bond prices, while Premier Li Keqiang in China said authorities should not underestimate the difficulties in the Chinese economy, adding to concerns about global growth.
Signals that China has put broader stimulus on hold curbed demand for European equities and overshadowed strong earnings from the likes of Credit Suisse and SAP, which led Germany’s DAX index to rise 0.45%.
