S&P 500

US stocks slumped overnight, pressuring the Dow Jones Industrial Average near to a four-month low, as political concerns in Greece continued to cloud the outlook for the global economy.

Markets across Europe suffered more losses this afternoon after Greece reportedly confirmed it has failed to form a coalition government.

TECHNICAL

BlackRock's Bob Doll said stock prices need to rise and bond prices need to fall before American investors will buy US stocks again.

US stocks ended the day firmly lower on Thursday, after the ISM services sector purchasing managers´ index for the month of April disappointed.

Investors in Warren Buffett's firm Berkshire Hathaway may have been left disappointed with returns over the past three years as the company has underperformed the S&P 500 by more than 25%.

Developed market shares were fleeting between positive and negative territory this afternoon as US jobs data disappointed and investor confidence in the eurozone weakened.

Apple shares leapt as trading began on Wall Street today after it reported yesterday that profits had almost doubled in a single quarter.

ON NORTH AMERICA

US markets gained some ground this afternoon ahead of consumer confidence and home sales data, following a sell-off in Europe yesterday.