Greek Vote Fails To Confirm New President, Keeps Snap Elections In View

Greece's parliament failed to agree on a new president in its second ballot on Tuesday. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's candidate Stavros Dimas got the backing of only 168 lawmakers, falling short of the 180 required from the 300-seat parliament. A third and final round of votes are scheduled for Dec. 29, and if no president is elected, snap elections will be called for late January. Market participants worry that far-left party Syriza could win that election, bringing back concerns about whether Greece would then continue its bailout program and austerity measures. Greece's ATHEX Composite slumped 2.2% to 848.63.