Asia stocks (MXAP) fell and the euro traded 0.6 percent from an 11-month low before European finance ministers discuss the debt crisis and as France prepares to sell bills. South Korean shares and the won sank after North Korean media said that leader Kim Jong Il has died.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 1.9 percent at 12:10 p.m. in Tokyo and the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 2.3 percent after home prices declined last month. Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures lost 0.5 percent. The 17-nation euro retreated 0.3 percent to $1.3010 and the won slumped 1.3 percent. Oil declined for a fourth day in New York and copper snapped a two-day gain.