Stockmarkets slide on swine flu fears

Travel stocks including Carnival, Intercontinental Hotels and Thomas Cook were among the biggest losers but pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Shire and Smith and Nephew rallied have spooked financial markets worldwide, sparking concerns that the spread of the disease could derail any recovery in the world economy. The outbreak of in Mexico has rapidly claimed more than 100 lives, with another 400 people in hospitals around the country. The news sent airline and tourism stocks plunging today while shares in drug companies and medical glovemakers soared. The dollar dropped to its lowest level against the yen in a month and the Mexican peso lost about 3% in electronic…

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