Madrid - Spain's main Ibex-35 index reacted to the slowdown on Wall Street, slipping 1.2 per cent to 10,103 points as trading opened on Wednesday.

New Delhi - Indian equities fell by more than 3 per cent in early trade on Wednesday after a two-day rally, following cues from stock exchanges in New York and Tokyo.

The 30-share Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange lost 373.68 points on funds selling metal, information technology and banking stocks, following weakening markets.

The index which had gained 955 points over the past two sessions fell to 11,109.72, a loss of 3.25 per cent at 11:55 am (0625 GMT).

Similarly, the broader 50-share Nifty index fell by 84.95 points to 3433.70, a decline of 2.41 per cent.

Market analysts said weakness at the US markets and similar trends in other Asian bourses including the Tokyo stock exchange pulled down trading sentiment.

Amman - Arab stock markets rallied for the second day in a row Tuesday, buoyed by rebounds in global markets following the rescue plan adopted by major European countries.

Analysts attributed the jump to a "tangible improvement in investors' confidence" and steps taken by regional central banks and other financial authorities to cut interest rates and pump liquidity into commercial banks.

"We believe that the rise in oil prices is also shoring up confidence in regional markets," an Amman-based portfolio manager said.

Singapore - Singapore shares rose Tuesday, joining in global gains as an increasing number of governments are set to pump cash into their economies in the face of the international financial crisis.

The Straits Times Index rose 51.96 points, or 2.5 per cent, to close at 2,128.31.

Traders said the rise was encouraged by more governments' commitments to support cash-strapped banks and the biggest points gain in history by the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday.

A Singapore trader cautioned that while the surge on the Singapore Stock Exchange was subject to a correction because of global economic uncertainties and any fallout among banks, it was likely to help build confidence in the stock market.

Beijing  - China's main stock market index plunged by nearly 3 per cent Tuesday despite an Asian regional rally spurred by bank bail-out deals.

The key Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks shares traded in local and foreign currencies on the larger of the mainland exchanges, lost 2.71 per cent to end the day at 2,017.32, down 56.25 points.

The smaller Shenzhen Component Index also lost nearly 2 per cent of its value after both markets made initial gains in the morning session.

Only 217 shares traded on Tuesday rose, with 1,373 falling and 120 unchanged, state media said.