EUR/USD: Euro Plunges After Brussels Explosions
Another explosion reported in Belgium - Livesquawk Reportedly in the region of EU buildings Belga news agency reporting
- Royal park has been evacuated
- Further reports that explosion is a controlled one of a suspect package
- All EU meetings have been cancelled
- APS says there were deaths at Maelbeek police station
- RTBF says there are 15 dead at the Maelbeek station blast
- Dutch police have ordered a station to be evacuated
With authorities on high alert we should expect to hear lots of these types of stories and we hope that it's only these types of reactionary news we hear and nothing more serious.
Explosions Rock Brussels Airport and Metro, at Least 34 Reported Dead Zaventem airport in Brussels was the scene of two bomb blasts on Tuesday morning, with at least one of the explosions caused by a suicide bomber. Soon after the airport attack a number of explosions were reported in a metro station, after which the whole underground system was shut down and evacuated.
The first reports of explosions came in after 8am local time when two bombs went off at a check-in at Zaventem airport, gunshots and shouts in Arabic were reported before one of the explosions. Some media reported that another three suicide belts were found at the airport.
So far 34 people have been confirmed as dead with over 200 wounded, and all flights have been diverted to nearby airports.
After 9am there were further explosions at the Maalbeek metro station, with 15 so far reported dead. Reports of blasts at the Kunst-Wet and Schuman stations have yet to be confirmed.
The whole metro system has been shut down by the authorities and public transportation in Brussels was suspended, with people being asked to stay where they are. The whole city is essentially on lockdown.
Near the close of the business day in Europe, the Amaq Agency reported that Islamic State fighters had carried out the attacks, stating that the perpetrators had opened fire in the airport before detonating explosive belts.
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The euro slumped on Tuesday after a number of explosions in Brussels at the airport and on the metro system, with some media informing of multiple deaths and injuries. The cause of the explosions are still to be determined.
The pair traded 0.38% lower at $1.1195 after the explosions, with news still coming in.
PMI numbers were released in France and Germany, the two biggest euro zone economies. The French services PMI grew from 49.2 to 51.2, moving from contraction to expansion, but the manufacturing numbers went the other way as they dropped from 50.2 to 49.6.
Germany's numbers stayed in the expansion zone, as the manufacturing PMI ticked slightly lower to 50.4 from 50.5 and the flash services PMI grew to 55.5 from previous figure of 55.3.
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