European (SXXP) stock futures fell as Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti’s intention to resign sparked concern a change in government will upend efforts to rein in debt. U.S. futures and Asian shares fluctuated. Futures on the Euro Stoxx 50 Index expiring in December dropped 0.5 percent to 2,586 at 7:24 a.m. in London, while contracts on the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index (UKX) dropped 0.1 percent. European stocks have rallied to an 18-month high amid increasing optimism that China’s economy will sustain its recovery and U.S. lawmakers will reach a compromise to avoid a fiscal deadlock. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures dropped 0.1 percent today, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped less than 0.1 percent. Monti said he intends to resign after losing support in Parliament. The move comes ahead of a Dec. 13-14 summit of European Union leaders to debate a road map for the overhaul of the 17-nation region. China’s industrial output and retail sales exceeded forecasts last month in signs the economic recovery is accelerating. Factory production climbed 10.1 percent in November from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday, compared with the 9.8 percent median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Retail sales growth accelerated to 14.9 percent. Even so, the customs administration in Beijing said today Chinese exports rose 2.9 percent in November from a year earlier, compared with the 9 percent median estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey and an 11.6 percent increase in October. President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met yesterday at the White House to discuss the dispute over the U.S. budget, representatives of both said. An agreement would help avert the so-called fiscal cliff, which could result in more than $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts taking effect next month. To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Stoukas in Athens at astoukas@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Rummer at arummer@bloomberg.net

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