ADR Report: Shares Lower As China Cuts Growth Target

International companies trading in New York closed lower Monday, in line with the broader market, as China cut its economic growth target and data showed euro-zone business activity contracted more than initially thought.

The Bank of New York index of ADRs declined 0.8% to 131.30 as resource stocks tumbled after China, a large consumer of natural resources, cut its economic growth target to 7.5% for 2012 after keeping it at 8% for the past eight years.

Mechel OAO (MTL, MTLR.RS) fell 5.6% to $10.56, Rio Tinto PLC (RIO, RIO.LN) dropped 3.9% to $54.23 and BHP Billiton PLC (BBL, BLT.LN) ended down 2.4% at $62.65.

The Latin American index and the emerging markets index lost 1.8% to 381.16 and 1.8% to 312.84, respectively, as Brazil resources companies also fell on news of a China slow down. China is Brazil's biggest trading partner and Brazil's key exports include iron ore.

Vale SA (VALE, VALE5.BR), the world's largest iron ore supplier, traded down 3.7% to $24.74. Steel producer Gerdau SA (GGB, GGBR4.BR) declined 2.2% to $10.36.

The European index lost 0.3% to 120.26 as Italy and Spain both contracted faster in February than in January, suggesting that growth for those countries looks to be a long way off.

Shares of Spanish banks Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BBVA, BBVA.MC) fell 1.9% to $8.85 and Banco Santander SA (STD, SAN.MC) lost 2.1% to $8.22.

The Asian index fell 1.4% to 128.53.

Tumbling natural-gas futures are weighing today on the energy sector as natural-gas futures flirted with 10-year lows on expectations that warmer-than-usual weather will persist across much of the U.S. this month. Coal companies took a hit as low natural-gas prices are liable to only hasten the switch of power plants to that fuel instead of coal. Shares of Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. (YZC, K3GD.SG, 600188.SH, 1171.HK) shed 4.5% to $23.37.

-By Corrie Driebusch, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2143; [e-mail]