Asian, European Markets Fall

Stock markets across Europe and Asia fell on Monday amid concerns about a slowdown in the U.S. economy and the outlook for corporate profits.
In Asia, the biggest declines were in China, where the Shanghai Composite Index plunged 5.6 percent and the Shenzhen index lost 6.3 percent. Elsewhere in the region Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed 3.1 percent lower and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 3.5 percent.
In Europe, the London market's FTSE 100 was down 0.7 percent in midday trading, while Germany's DAX fell 0.8 percent and France's CAC 40 slipped 0.3 percent.
The declines extended a slump on Wall Street on Friday after reports of weak consumer sentiment and disappointing earnings from General Electric Co., which cast a gloomy light on a slew of earnings reports expected this week including those from banking giants J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co.
Indian market remained shut due to local holiday.