USA - Stock prices in New York plunged again on Wednesday with the Dow Jones industrial average plummeting more than 500 points.

The Dow index, which jumped more than 400 points on Tuesday, dropped nearly 520 points to end at 10,719.94 on Wednesday.

The plunge came as investors turned their attention back to debt problems in Europe.

At the New York foreign exchange market, the dollar fell against the yen to 76.35 at one point on Wednesday.

The exchange rate neared the record low of 76.25 yen per dollar set on March 17th, a week after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan.

Dealers say money markets have been stunned by the news that the credit rating for French government bonds may be lowered.

Money changers are now watching the Bank of Japan for another possible market intervention to support the dollar, if the yen's surge continues.

Investors continued to buy gold to hedge risks, pushing the price to 1800 dollars per once for the first time in New York.

Gold futures have soared by more than 10 percent from the end of last month due to concerns over the US economy and credit problems in Europe.

Source: NHK World