Global bank stocks slide amid U.S. credit concerns

Major financial stocks globally dropped after fears about credit quality at U.S. regional banks rattled markets. Worries over auto-loan defaults and hidden liabilities spooked investors, dragging bank indices in Europe and Asia sharply lower. The sell-off compounds anxiety over stretched valuations, despite recent AI-led gains in tech. Analysts caution that if credit stress deepens, contagion to broader equity markets is possible.