Dollar sinks after attacks
Both of the World Trade Center towers now have collapsed. The dollar is sharply lower, gold is rising and oil prices are soaring. One likely corporate casualty: insurers.
Powerful explosions have now toppled both of the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center, home to thousands of workers and dozens of financial companies. Blasts also hit the Pentagon. Markets are closed and the financial district is engulfed in smoke.
"It is pitch black," CNBC's Maria Bartiromo said of the scene on Wall Street. "You are basically surrounded by smoke and debris coming at you. Earlier, we actually saw bodies coming out of the top of the World Trade Center."
Bartiromo is reporting from inside the New York Stock Exchange, which she says has suffered no internal damage.
The dollar has fallen against other major currencies, and the price of gold -- historically a shelter in uncertain times -- is rising. Oil prices are surging. European stock indexes have plunged.
Dollar loses ground as investors seek safety
The dollar continues to lose ground against other currencies, falling particularly sharply against the euro as investors seek safer ground. The Swiss franc, a traditional safe haven for world investors, has risen sharply after the series of explosions.
Currency strategists interviewed by news services continue to assert the dollar will bounce back after the knee-jerk selling.
European stock indexes slide
The pan-European FTSE Eurotop 300 has lost 4.5% of its value, and indexes in major European capitals were lower. Some European markets closed temporarily, while others remained open.
Insurance burden will be huge
The human and political damage of today's attack is impossible to calculate, but one corporate casualty is sure to be the insurance industry. Claims will easily reach into the billions of dollars, according to industry experts quoted by the news services.
"It is safe to assume claims will be in the billions," Robert Hartwig, chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, told Reuters. He says losses from intentional attacks generally would be covered.
Among the largest property/casualty insurers are AIG (AIG, news, msgs), Allianz (AZ, news, msgs) and Allstate (ALL, news, msgs).
-- Scott Gerlach