Stocks Sputter, Gold Soars

Asia stock markets were mostly down today, European markets look set to follow, and gold hit new highs as world markets continued to be rocked by investor nerves, reports Reuters. The Nikkei hit a five-month low, finishing 1.04% down, Korea's Kospi was off 1.96%, and Australia's All Ordinaries declined 0.51%. "The sentiment of markets is very weak at the moment," said a Hong Kong trader.

European markets opened mixed, but were largely down, too, as investors await new data and debt issuances coming tomorrow. Meanwhile, gold hit a record $1,878 per ounce, as investors looked for a safe spot in the midst of so much uncertainty. (More Asian markets stories.)