* Euro slips as Portugal vote looms
* Sterling falls on UK growth projections
* Europe debt concern weighs on U.S. stocks
* Gold, bunds up on safety bid
(Updates with Portuguese parliament debate, updates prices,
adds copper)
By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - Worries that a political
crisis in Portugal could force the debt-laden country to seek a
bailout sent the euro lower on Wednesday and triggered
safe-haven demand for German government bonds.
The renewed fears of a euro zone debt crisis drove down
European banking shares and weighed on stocks in New York. U.S.
Treasury debt prices, which had risen earlier on safe-haven
demand, slipped following a Federal Reserve purchase.
Uncertainty over the longer-term impact of Japan's
earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis fueled a safety bid for
precious metals, driving up the price of gold and sending
silver to the highest price since 1980.
The cost of insuring Portugal's five-year debt against
default hit two-month highs, reflecting the growing belief that
Lisbon will follow Greece and Ireland in seeking emergency
funding if parliament rejects a new series of austerity
measures. The yield on Irish government bonds also soared to
new euro-lifetime highs.
Portugal's parliament started a plenary session to debate
the government's austerity measures, setting the stage for the
likely collapse of the minority Socialist administration. Prime
Minister Jose Socrates has threatened to resign if the package
is rejected in a vote expected later on Wednesday.
"There's currently a lot of concern on the Portuguese
budget vote and the potential political implication for it. The
fear is that if Portugal failed to agree on austerity measures,
we can potentially see the country forced into the EFSF" rescue
fund, said Mary Nicola, currency strategist at BNP Paribas in
New York.
Hopes that this week's European summit would yield a
decision on how to increase the effective capacity of the euro
zone bailout fund were dashed after the release of a draft
document prepared for the meeting. The decision will likely
come in June. [].
Portugal's political crisis has knocked the euro from its
recent 4-1/2-month highs against the U.S. dollar, although the
slide is expected to be temporary, given the expectation for
the European Central Bank to raise interest rates next month.
The euro <EUR=EBS> was last down 0.4 percent at $1.4138,
having hit a low for the session of $1.4105, according to
trading platform EBS.
The renewed concerns over European debt kept European
stocks near break even and took a toll on Wall Street.
A plunge in sales of new U.S. single-family homes in
February to the lowest level since 1963 also weighed on Wall
Street, as the data from the U.S. Commerce Department suggested
the housing market slide was deepening. []
"If the data continues to implode the way it has been,
we'll see new lows in the stocks. And if that happens, we'll
have to expect a protracted downtrend in the market. When the
market gets better --it will happen-- you'll see it first in
housing stocks," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of Sarhan
Capital in New York.
An objection by the Federal Reserve to Bank of America's
<BAC.N> plans to boost its dividend weighed on U.S. bank
shares. Bank of America shares fell 2.6 percent.
The Dow Jones industrial average <> edged up 2.15
points, or 0.02 percent, to 12,020.78. The Standard & Poor's
500 <.SPX> dropped 3.77 points, or 0.29 percent, to 1,290.00.
The Nasdaq Composite <> fell 4.62 points, or 0.17 percent,
to 2,679.25.
The FTSEurofirst 300 <> edged up less than 0.1
percent as a rise in mining shares helped offset weaker bank
stocks. The MSCI All-Country World index <.MIWD00000PUS> fell
0.3 percent, down for the first session in five.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
U.S. trading volume slowdown http://r.reuters.com/gyp68r
Japan earthquake in graphics http://r.reuters.com/fyh58r
U.S. crude futures chart: http://link.reuters.com/maq68r
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
YEN LITTLE CHANGED
The yen stayed in a tight range close to 81 per dollar,
though traders were wary the Bank of Japan might step in again
if the dollar fell below 80.50, following Friday's rare market
intervention by major central banks to curb Japan's currency.
Underlining the continuing risks in Japan, authorities
advised against allowing infants to drink tap water in Tokyo
due to raised radiation levels, and the United States blocked
some food imports from Japan. []
Sterling fell 0.7 percent to $1.6253 <GBP=D4>, hitting the
day's low as UK Chancellor George Osborne released a lower
growth projection for the coming year and increased borrowing
targets from 2011/12 to 2014/15. See []
U.S. Treasuries pared early gains to trade slightly
negative in price in the wake of the Federal Reserve's purchase
of $7.56 billion of Treasuries. Benchmark 10-year Treasury
notes <US10YT=RR> were trading 4/32 lower to yield 3.34
percent, up from 3.33 percent late Tuesday.
The Bund future <FGBLc1> was 29 ticks higher at 122.31.
Germany sold 3.4 billion euros of 10-year bonds, attracting
greater demand than at a previous sale thanks to the
risk-averse mood in markets. []
U.S. oil prices <CLc1> edged higher while Brent <LCOc1>
traded flat, with prices expected to remain underpinned by
violence in Libya and unrest in Yemen, which neighbors top
producer Saudi Arabia.
"Yemen is a very hot topic now. It is not that important to
the oil market but unrest in the region gives enough
psychological support to prices," Andy Sommer, energy market
analyst with EGL, said.
Spot gold <XAU=> was up 0.7 percent at $1,438.94 an ounce.
Silver <XAG=> was at $36.86 an ounce at 1547 GMT, just below
the session high of $36.93 an ounce, from $36.34 late in New
York on Tuesday.
Copper rose over 2 percent to a two-week high on
expectations of a supply deficit this year, but the price
recovery may be hindered by unrest in Libya and concerns about
Japan.
Egyptian stocks <.EGX100> closed 9 percent lower in the
first day of trading on the Cairo exchange since Jan. 27, after
closing due to the political turmoil that ousted Hosni Mubarak
last month.
(Additional reporting by Ryan Vlastelica, Wanfeng Zhou,
Richard Leong and Ikuko Kurahone; Editing by Leslie Adler)
