Car Insurance over Japan Earthquake/tsunami:
Auto Insurance Quotes Compare:
Japan Earthquake,Tsunami Roil Shares In UK Insurance Firms
Shares in UK insurance firms took a hammering on the London market Friday amid fears of mammoth claims from Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami. Stocks across the European insurance sector slumped into the red, hitting even those with little or no exposure to Japan, dealers said. The wider FTSE 100 Index fell by more than 45 points at one stage before recovering to stand 19 points lower at 5826.5 in a gloomy end to a tough week for global stock markets. Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged 1.7 percent to a five-week low as the quake occurred just before the close of trading in Tokyo. Read More
Huge tsunami kills hundreds in Japan, sweeps across Pacific
TOKYO (Reuters)—The biggest earthquake on record to hit Japan rocked its northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 33-foot tsunami that killed hundreds of people and swept away everything in its path.
Thousands of residents near a nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo, were told to evacuate as a precaution after the 8.9 magnitude quake, but the government said no radiation was leaking.
Up to 300 bodies were found in the coastal city of Sendai, media said. NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned. The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly.
Tsunami warnings were issued across the Pacific but were later lifted for some of the most populated countries in the region, including Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand.
Other Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down and one refinery was ablaze. Television footage also showed an intense fire in the waterfront area near Sendai, the city hardest hit by the quake.Read More
Japanese tsunami affects world insurance shares
Insurance stocks worldwide have fallen following a tsunami and earthquake in Japan measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale.
Shares in large insurers such as Munich Re have fallen in anticipation of big payouts to cover the cost of the natural disaster, according to the BBC.
Asian and European stock markets also fell while the dollar briefly gained about 0.5% against the yen to 83.275 yen, before snapping back again.
The quake struck just minutes before the 0645 GMT close of trading in Tokyo.
The Nikkei index in Tokyo ended the day down 1.7%, and Nikkei futures fell 3% in after-hours trading in Singapore.
Markets in the UK, France and Germany were also down.
The Tokyo market had already closed at its lowest level in five weeks due to the unrest in the Middle East.
In the aftermath of the earthquake Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped some 1.8%, and ended the day down 1.6%. The Shanghai composite decreased by 0.8%.
At noon on Friday in London, the German Dax and French Cac were both down by more than 1%, while in London the Ftse was down by 0.4%. Read More
