Most banks and financial institutions in downtown Manhattan shut down operations today after two planes crashed into the nearby World Trade Center, causing both towers to collapse.
US securities markets decided not to open for trading, US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Harvey Pitt said.
Nasdaq officials have also confirmed this evening that the Nasdaq and the American Stock Exchange would not open. New York Stock Exchange officials were not immediately available for comment. The NYSE said earlier that the start of trading had been delayed indefinitely, while the Nasdaq had pushed back its opening.
Several top financial services firms have offices in the World Trade Center, including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse Group, Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank.
Employees at the World Financial Center, located to the west of the World Trade Center and housing the headquarters of firms including Merrill Lynch & Co and Lehman Bros Holdings did not answer phone calls put into their offices.
Several phone lines appeared to be down as well, including mobile service. A phone call to the main number at the World Financial Center went unanswered.
'Whole downtown shook', said one employee at Goldman Sachs Group, which has headquarters and offices downtown. Many financial services firms have moved their headquarters from lower Manhattan to Midtown in New York, but still maintain trading operations close to the Wall Street area.
The London stock exchange, which closed over 5.7% lower, was evacuated this afternoon as a precaution but trading was continuing, stock exchange authorities said following the attack on the Trade Center.
* Aer Lingus has cancelled all eight of its transatlantic flights today. Two of the flights - to New York and to Los Angeles - were actually in the air and have returned to Dublin Airport. The other six flights have been cancelled.
