Asian, European markets fall, tracking Wall Street drop amid US financial worries

European and Asian stock markets fell Friday, as an overnight drop on Wall Street and more concerns about the U.S. housing and financial sectors led many investors to take profits after a recent rally. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.81 percent at 5,318.60, France's CAC 40 slid 0.64 percent to 4,320.25 and Germany's DAX fell 1.17 percent to 6,365.14 by early afternoon in Europe. In Asia, stock markets fell more sharply. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index shed almost 2 percent to 13,334.76 points, dashing its three-day win streak. Australia's main stock index recorded its largest one-day fall in six months to finish almost 3.4 percent lower at 4,970.5. Meanwhile, India's benchmark traded 3.4 lower; Hong Kong and mainland China markets were off around 1.5 percent. Asia investors were dispirited by regional news after National... [read full story]