Economic woes unsettle US coal

摘要

US physical coal markets were mixed this week as concerns about the US economy weighed against the growing export market for coal. The volatile stock market dominated mainstream attention this week, and most markets could not ignore the negative sentiment. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 634 points on 8 August after ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded the US from AAA to AA+ last weekend. The Dow Jones index the next day gained 429 points, only to fall 519 points on 10 August before gaining 423 points yesterday and another 126 points today, resulting in the first time ever that the average has moved up or down by more than 400 points for four consecutive days.