Bhutto assassination will likely rattle Pakistan's markets

Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:01:06 (GMT)

Bhutto assassination will likely rattle Pakistan's markets

NEW YORK
The assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto will
likely rattle the country's equity markets, eroding confidence at least
in the short term in a market that's been one of the best performers in
Asia, observers said.

Market Snapshot: U.S. stocks fall on economic concerns, Bhutto death

U.S. stocks posted steep losses on Thursday, as the assassination of
former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and largely disappointing
economic data hurt investor sentiment.

Pakistani opposition leader Bhutto killed in gun and bomb attack

Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was
assassinated Thursday, throwing the nuclear-armed U.S. ally into crisis
and raising the specter of deeper instability in an already volatile
region.

Economic Report: U.S. consumer confidence gains in December, report
shows

U.S. consumer confidence rose in December due to an increase in
short-term expectations, though consumers "remain far from
optimistic," the Conference Board reported Thursday.

The Ratings Game: Citigroup seen cutting dividend 40% to address big
write-down

SAN FRANCISCO
Financial-services giant Citigroup Inc. may be forced to cut its
dividend by 40% due to write-downs now estimated at $18.7 billion in the
fourth quarter, analysts at Goldman Sachs say.