Stock indices closed lower on concerns over Greece's further bailout policy. European finance ministers piled pressure on Greece to examine its books in order to obtain more aid.

The European Central Bank President Mario Draghi asked on Monday Greece to allow new visits from technical experts. Greece agreed to allow experts to examine its books in Athens on Wednesday.

The Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers discussed proposed Greek economic reforms.

Industrial production in France climbed 0.4% in January, missing expectations for a 0.8% gain, after a 1.4% rise in December. December's figure was revised down from a 1.5% increase.

The Bank of England (BoE) Governor Mark Carney was speaking in the Economics Affairs Committee in the House of Lords in Britain's parliament on Tuesday. He said that consumer price inflation will decline to around zero in the coming months and stay there for much of the rest of the year. Carney added that decline in consumer inflation was driven by declines in energy and food prices, particularly lower oil prices.

The BoE governor noted it would be "extremely foolish" to ease the monetary policy in an attempt to boost inflation caused by falling oil prices.

Indexes on the close:

Name Price Change Change %

FTSE 100 6,702.84 -173.63 -2.52 %

DAX 11,500.38 -81.73 -0.71 %

CAC 40 4,881.95 -55.25 -1.12 %

The U.S. Commerce Department released wholesale inventories on Tuesday. Wholesale inventories in the U.S. rose 0.3% in January, missing expectations for a flat reading, after a flat reading in December. December's figure was revised up from a 0.1% increase.

Inventories of durable goods increased 0.6% in January, while inventories of non-durable goods fell by 0.1%.

Wholesale sales declined by 3.1% in January, the largest decline since March 2009, driven by a 4.6% fall in sales of non-durable goods.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report on Tuesday. Job openings climbed to 4.998 million in January from 4.877 million in December. That was the highest level since January 2001.

December's figure was revised down from 5.028 million.

Analysts had expected job openings to rise to 5.030 million.

The number of job openings rose for total private (4.523 million), while decreased for government (475,000) in January.

The hires rate was 3.5% in January.

Total separations declined to 4.821 million in January from 4.901 million in December.

The JOLTS report is one of the Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's favourite labour market indicators.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) released its labour market data on Tuesday. Switzerland's unemployment rate remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 3.2% in February, in line with expectations. January's figure was revised down from 3.1%.

The number of people registered at regional job offices declined by 1,025 to 149,921 in February from January.

The jobless rate for foreigners remained unchanged at 7%, while the rate for Swiss citizens fell to 2.3% in February from 2.4% in January.

U.S. stock-index futures fell as the dollar strengthened to the highest level in more than seven years versus the yen amid speculation the U.S. is moving closer to raising interest rates.

Global markets:

Nikkei 18,665.11 -125.44 -0.67%

Hang Seng 23,896.98 -226.07 -0.94%

Shanghai Composite 3,287.1 -15.31 -0.46%

FTSE 6,780.25 -96.22 -1.40%

CAC 4,882.67 -54.53 -1.10%

DAX 11,442.08 -140.03 -1.21%

Crude oil $49.82 (-0.50%)

Gold $1167.40 (+0.09%)

Stocks before the bell

(company / ticker / price / change, % / volume)

European stocks continue to decline after a negative start and did not pick up the bullish sentiment that led the Wall Street higher. Yesterday the ECB started its massive bond-buying program worth euro 60 billion a month, also known as QE, quantitative easing. Continuing uncertainty over Greece weighs on the markets. The country remains in the focus as the proposed list of measures is far from complete, the head of Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Sunday. On Monday ECB president Mario Draghi urged Greek officials to let return Eurozone-representatives to Greece in order to examine the government's books as a precondition for further financial aid. Greece agreed on allowing experts from the ECB and IMF to start their work on Wednesday.

French Industrial Production on a yearly basis grew in January by +0.6% compared to a previous reading of -1.3%. Month on month Industrial Production rose less-than-expected by +0.4%, compared with estimates of an increase of +0.8%. In December Industrial Production rose +1.5%.

At 10:00 GMT Eurozone's ECOFIN Meetings started.

Chinese inflation was unexpectedly higher in February, producer prices slid more than predicted, adding pressure on the PBoC to spur economic growth.

The FTSE 100 index is currently trading -0.74% quoted at 6,825.92. Germany's DAX 30 lost -0.55% trading at 11,518.13. France's CAC 40 is currently trading at 4,911.38 points, -0.74%.

BLOOMBERG

Apple CEO Tim Cook Embraces Technology and Luxury to Win in Smartwatches

Apple Inc. is betting that its first new gadget in five years, a smartwatch costing from $349 to more than $10,000, will offer the right blend of technology and luxury to lure even more customers and boost sales.

Apple Watch has a customizable face and will run 18 hours with typical use, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said at an event in San Francisco Monday. He was making the case for why consumers would want to add another digital product to their daily lives, highlighting the watch's ability to track health, send notifications and serve as a status symbol.

"Apple Watch is the most personal device we have ever created -- it's not just with you, it's on you," Cook said. "Since what you wear is an expression of who you are, we designed Apple Watch to appeal to a whole variety of people with different tastes and different preferences."

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-09/apple-ceo-tim-cook-begins-to-make-the-case-for-smartwatches

REUTERS
Varoufakis unsettles Germans with admission Greece won't repay debts

(Reuters) - Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has described his country as the most bankrupt in the world and said European leaders knew all along that Athens would never repay its debts, in blunt comments that sparked a backlash in the German media on Tuesday.

A documentary about the Greek debt crisis on German public broadcaster ARD was aired on the same day euro zone finance ministers met in Brussels to discuss whether to provide Athens with further funding in exchange for delivering reforms.

"Clever people in Brussels, in Frankfurt and in Berlin knew back in May 2010 that Greecewould never pay back its debts. But they acted as if Greece wasn't bankrupt, as if it just didn't have enough liquid funds," Varoufakis told the documentary.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/10/us-eurozone-greece-varoufakis-idUSKBN0M60MN20150310

REUTERS

Brent falls while U.S. crude gains on easing stockbuild

(Reuters) - Brent prices fell 2 percent on Monday pressured by European Central Bank bond-buying, while U.S. crude rose about 1 percent on a smaller-than-expected build in inventories at the key Cushing oil hub, leading to a narrowing gap between the two benchmarks.

Brent's premium to U.S. crude CL-LCO1=R, one of the biggest oil plays, narrowed to less than $9 a barrel, tripping up some traders who had bet the spread would expand this week after a recent 13-month high above $13.

Brent was pressured as the ECB started buying bonds under its quantitative easing program, a move that implies a certain level of deflation, said Bob Yawger at Mizuho Securities in New York.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/09/us-markets-oil-idUSKBN0M505B20150309

European stocks did not pick up the bullish sentiment that led the Wall Street higher and fall at the start. Yesterday the ECB started its massive bond-buying program worth euro 60 billion a month, also known as QE, quantitative easing. Continuing uncertainty over Greece weighs on the markets. The country remains in the focus as the proposed list of measures is far from complete, the head of Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Sunday. On Monday ECB president Mario Draghi urged Greek officials to let return Eurozone-representatives to Greece in order to examine the government's books as a precondition for further financial aid. Greece agreed on allowing experts from the ECB and IMF to start their work on Wednesday.

French Industrial Production on a yearly basis grew in January by +0.6% compared to a previous reading of -1.3%. Month on month Industrial Production rose less-than-expected by +0.4%, compared with estimates of an increase of +0.8%. In December Industrial Production rose +1.5%.

At 10:00 GMT Eurozone's ECOFIN Meetings will start.

The FTSE 100 index is currently trading -0.20% quoted at 6,862.83. Germany's DAX 30 lost -0.21% trading at 11,558.07, France's CAC 40 is currently trading at 4,928.51 points, -0.18%.

U.S. stocks rebounded on Monday following one of the worst performing days in the year as sentiment turned bullish and risk appetite returned. Yesterday Apple presented the highly anticipated I-Watch at a media event in California.

The S&P 500 closed +0.39% with a final quote of 2,079.43 points. The DOW JONES index added +0.78% closing at 17,995.72 points, missing the psychologically important 18,000 points mark by less than 5 points.

Chinese stocks declined on Tuesday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng is trading lower -0.82% at 23,925.44 points. China's Shanghai Composite closed at 3,287.10 points losing -0.46% at the close. Chinese Producer Prices year on year declined -4.8% in February, more than the expected -4.2%. Consumer Prices rose +1.4% beating expectations of an increase of +1.0%. As the data showed the risk of deflation in the world's second largest economy further measures by the PBoC will be in the focus.

The Nikkei lost further ground on Tuesday in volatile trading. Banking stocks slumped on a report that the Basel Committee may ask banks to boost capital. The Nikkei closed -0.67% with a final quote of 18,665.11 points. Preliminary Machine Tool Orders rose by +28.9% year on year in February with a previous reading of +20.4%. Late in the day data on Core Machinery orders is due at 23:50 GMT. A weaker yen failed to support stocks.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei 225 18,790.55 -180.45 -0.95%

Hang Seng 24,123.05 -40.95 -0.17%

Shanghai Composite 3,302.16 +60.98 +1.88%

FTSE 100 6,876.47 -35.33 -0.51%

CAC 40 4,937.2 -27.15 -0.55%

Xetra DAX 11,582.11 +31.14 +0.27%

S&P 500 2,079.43 +8.17 +0.39%

NASDAQ Composite 4,942.44 +15.07 +0.31%

Dow Jones 17,995.72ь+138.94 +0.78%