European stocks declined for a fourth day, with the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 Index falling to its lowest level this year, as commodity producers and automakers slid.

U.K. unemployment rose at its fastest pace in more than a year and wage increases slowed. Unemployment as measured by International Labour Organisation methods rose by 70,000 to 2.56 million in the three months through February, the most since November 2011, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. The median forecast of 27 economists in a survey was for the rate to stay unchanged.

A separate release showed that Bank of England Governor Mervyn King was defeated for a third month in a push for more stimulus. Six of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep the target for quantitative easing at 375 billion pounds ($575 billion) this month, the central bank said in the minutes of the April 3-4 meeting, published in London today. King, David Miles and Paul Fisher wanted to increase it by 25 billion pounds.

National benchmark indexes declined in 16 of the 18 western European markets. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index slipped 1 percent, Germany’s DAX Index slid 2.3 percent and France’s CAC 40 lost 2.4 percent.

BHP Billiton dropped 3.4 percent to 1,779 pence. Output of iron ore, its biggest earner, was 40.2 million metric tons in the three months to March 31, missing the median estimate of 42.3 million tons in a survey.

A gauge of European mining companies slid to its lowest level since July 2009, with Rio Tinto Group and Anglo American Plc retreating 3.6 percent to 2,854.5 pence, and 2.1 percent to 1,553 pence, respectively.

Preferred shares of Volkswagen lost 2.9 percent to 141.45 euros. BMW decreased 2.8 percent to 65 euros. European car sales are heading toward a 20-year low as registrations in March fell 10 percent, led by Germany’s auto market, which plummeted 17 percent, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, said today.

Tesco declined 3.9 percent to 369.8 pence after the U.K.’s largest retailer said it will exit the U.S. and took a 1.2 billion-pound charge to end the Fresh & Easy business. So-called trading profit fell 13 percent to 3.45 billion pounds in the 52 weeks ended Feb. 23, the company said.

BASF SE slid 3.8 percent to 65.55 euros, its lowest price in almost five months, after Nomura Holdings Inc. cut its recommendation on the world’s biggest chemicals maker to neutral, the equivalent of hold, from buy, citing above-average downside risks to consensus forecasts.

U.S. stock futures fell, signaling the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index will retreat after yesterday’s rally, amid disappointing results from companies from Bank of America Corp. to Yahoo! Inc.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei  13,382.89 +161.45 +1.22%

Hang Seng 21,569.67 -102.36 -0.47%

Shanghai Composite 2,193.8 -1.05 -0.05%

FTSE  6,267.49 -37.09 -0.59%

CAC  3,630.28 -55.51 -1.51%

DAX 7,552.32 -130.26 -1.70%

Crude oil $87.89 -0.94%

Gold $1383.20 - 0.30%

Upgrades:

Intel (INTC) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Drexel Hamilton

Yahoo! (YHOO) upgraded from Neutral to Buy at BofA/Merrill

Other:

Yahoo! (YHOO) reiterated at Buy at Stifel, target raised from $25 to $27

European stocks fell for a fourth day, the longest losing streak in three months, as a gauge of commodity producers sank to an 18-month low.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index (SXXP) fell 0.8 percent to 285.89 at 10:04 a.m. in London.

U.K. unemployment rose at its fastest pace in more than a year and wage increases slowed. Unemployment as measured by International Labour Organisation methods rose by 70,000 to 2.56 million in the three months through February, the most since November 2011, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. The median forecast of economists was for the rate to stay unchanged.

A separate release showed that Bank of England Governor Mervyn King was defeated for a third month in a push for more stimulus. Six of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep the target for quantitative easing at 375 billion pounds ($575 billion) this month, the central bank said in the minutes of the April 3-4 meeting, published in London today. King, David Miles and Paul Fisher wanted to increase it

BHP Billiton (BLT) dropped 2.4 percent to 1,797 pence. Output of iron ore, its biggest earner, was 40.2 million metric tons in the three months to March 31, missing the median estimate of 42.3 million tons.

Rio Tinto Group and Anglo American Plc retreating 2.5 percent to 2,888 pence and 2.1 percent to 1,553 pence, respectively.

Tesco declined 2.1 percent to 376.9 pence after the U.K.’s largest retailer said it will exit the U.S. and took a 1.2 billion-pound charge to end the Fresh & Easy business. So-called trading profit fell 13 percent to 3.45 billion pounds in the 52 weeks ended Feb. 23, the company said.

BASF SE slid 2.8 percent to 66.22 euros, contributing the most to the Stoxx 600’s drop, after Nomura Holdings Inc. cut its recommendation on the world’s biggest chemicals maker to neutral, the equivalent of hold, from buy, citing above-average downside risks to consensus forecasts.

At that moment:

FTSE 100 6,270.44 -34.14 -0.54%

CAC 40 3,652.68 -33.11 -0.90%

DAX 7,589.08 -93.50 -1.22%

Asian stocks advanced for the first time in three days as new-home construction in the U.S. jumped more than forecast, the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for Japanese growth and the yen weakened.

Nikkei 225 13,382.89 +161.45 +1.22%

Hang Seng 21,746.88 +74.85 +0.35%

S&P/ASX 200 5,004.6 +53.75 +1.09%

Shanghai Composite 2,192.16 -2.69 -0.12%

Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest carmaker, advanced 1.8 percent as a weakening yen boosted the earnings outlook for exporters.

Advantest Corp. paced increases in Tokyo among makers of semiconductor equipment after Intel Corp. forecast second- quarter sales that would exceed some analysts’ estimates.

Change % Change Last

Nikkei 225 13,221.44 -54.22 -0.41%

Hang Seng 21,763.94 -8.73 -0.04%

S&P/ASX 200 4,950.8 -17.11 -0.34%

Shanghai Composite 2,194.85 +12.90 +0.59%

FTSE 100 6,304.58 -39.02 -0.62%

CAC 40 3,685.79 -24.69 -0.67%

DAX 7,682.58 -30.05 -0.39%

DJIA 14,756.80 157.58 1.08%

S&P 500 1,574.57 22.21 1.43%

NASDAQ 3,264.63 48.14 1.50%