Protests in Athens, Madrid push markets down

Violent protests erupted in Athens, Greece as tens of thousands of protestors clashed with police.  They were linked to a 24 hour strikes called by the country’s two giant unions, the first test for the government from opposition to its cutbacks.  They coincided with antiausterity protests in Madrid, Spain – both triggered by uncertainty and fear of new measures and budget cuts.  The twin-protests affected markets, first in Europe where the Euro Stoxx 50 index went down 2.7%.  Sentiment spread and weighed down other markets as well.

Read more on the Wall Street Journal.