The stock exchange in Amsterdam is expected to open with a loss this morning. European stock exchanges are also predicted to fall as fears that the Greek debt crisis will spread to Spain and Italy continue to dampen the mood.

Concerns in Europe about interest rates are ongoing and rates have increased in every country except Germany. Markets will also be watching the auction of Spanish and French government bonds later today.

Wall Street closed in the plus on Tuesday thanks to good sales in US supermarkets. But this failed to inspire stock exchanges in the Far East as they were down on Wednesday. The Nikkei in Tokyo ended the day 0.9 percent lower. The Bank of Japan left interest rates the same, but adjusted its economic predictions downwards.

The AEX index in Amsterdam ended 1.3 percent lower at 292.93 points on Tuesday. The MidKap index for middle and small businesses fell 1.4 percent to 451.11 points. The stock exchange in Paris dropped 1.9 percent as a result of valuation losses on the French banks. Frankfurt lost 0.9 percent and London closed more or less at the same level.

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