MW: Gold, crude futures slide lower on Europe fears
By V. Phani Kumar
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold and crude-oil futures dropped early Monday as Europe's sovereign-debt troubles continued to weigh on investor sentiment and U.S. stock futures pointed toward sharp extended losses. December gold futures declined $15.20, or 0.8%, to $1,844.30 an ounce, while light, sweet crude-oil futures for delivery in October lost 98 cents, or 1.1%, to $86.26 a barrel. The drop came after Asian and European stocks tumbled earlier on Monday amid fears that Greece was headed toward a default, and on reports that French banks ratings could be downgraded over their exposure to Athens' debt.
