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| - European stocks retreated on Monday after more countries halted use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, while US stocks dipped from record highs. The dollar firmed ahead of Wednesday's US Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting. "European stocks have struggled throughout the day, and the selling accelerated in the afternoon after France and Italy became the latest European nations to halt the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid jab, following Germany and a few other nations," said market analyst Fawad Razaqzada at ThinkMarkets. Denmark halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week following concerns it may be linked to blood clots, prompting a growing number of European countries to follow suit. European medical regulators and the World Health Organization have said the vaccine is safe to use and there is no evidence linking it to blood clotes. "However, if the AstraZeneca jab is proven to cause blood clots, and more countries are forced to stop using it then this will provide a major setback in the race to end lockdowns," said Razaqzada. Both London and Paris closed 0.2 percent lower, while Frankfurt shed 0.3 percent. Meanwhile in midday trading on Wall Street, both the Dow and S&P 500 dipped from record highs set on Friday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite edged higher. "It appears the bulls are taking a breather in light of solid gains that were posted last week," said David Madden at CMC Markets UK. Brent oil topped $70 per barrel on positive industrial production and retail sales data in key crude consumer China but then fell back. Bitcoin stood around $56,000 after hitting a record $61,742 on Saturday on keen demand for the world's most popular cryptocurrency. Asian stock markets closed mixed as early rallies ran out of steam. Investors have been emboldened this year as Covid vaccine rollouts and the easing of most lockdowns have stoked recovery hopes. Bets on a strong rebound increased last week as US President Joe Biden signed off on his $1.9-trillion stimulus plan, which includes big cash handouts for struggling Americans. This week's Fed meeting comes as investors fret that a strong US recovery will fan inflation and force an interest rate hike earlier than previously expected. That is reflected in the spike in government debt yields, particularly benchmark 10-year Treasury notes -- a canary in the coal mine for coming price increases. "The passage of the $1.9-trillion American rescue plan is set to release another boost to a US economy which was already showing some signs of a turnaround," said Richard Hunter, head of markets at trading firm Interactive Investor. "The current fear is that the package could actually overheat the economy, and the meeting of the Federal Reserve later in the week will need to allay that concern." New York - Dow: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 32,762.01 points EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,829.08 London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 6,749.70 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.3 percent at 14,461.42 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 6,035.97 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 29,766.97 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.3 percent at 28,833.76 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.0 percent at 3,419.95 (close) Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1933 from $1.1953 at 2200 GMT Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3887 from $1.3924 Euro/pound: UP at 85.94 pence from 85.84 pence Dollar/yen: UP at 109.04 yen from 109.03 yen Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $68.67 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $65.11 per barrel burs-rl/lth
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