Dow ends day down 248 points while slumping oil price and gloom at Davos sends FTSE 100 tumbling officially into bear market territory.
A diplomatic offensive by new Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras to ease bailout aid requirements has been failing to win converts.
Anti-poverty groups condemn the first global trade deal since the creation of the World Trade Organisation.
The eurozone’s youth unemployment rate worsened last month to reach a new record high of 24.4%.
An audit of state agencies’ borrowing may rein in profligacy and graft, but will it slow the economy?
The United States is even worse than Greece, with a debt equivalent of 105% of GDP.
A renowned academic is adamant that austerity and deficit reduction will not aid a recovery.
Despite some positive figures in December, France’s January sales have reflected the gloom cast by Italy.
As the country tries to form a government, the region’s leaders are again sniping at each other.
Official figures show that the United States no longer dominates trading in goods.