premise: Elsewhere, share prices closed lower in Paris, Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels and Stockholm, and were mixed in Milan. The British shakeup was widely cited for the declines.
  Share prices also closed lower in Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Manila, Wellington and Seoul. Concern about declines in other markets, especially New York, caused selling pressure.
  Here are price trends on the world's major stock markets, as calculated by Morgan Stanley Capital International Perspective, Geneva. To make them directly comparable, each index is based on the close of 1969 equaling 100. The percentage change is since year-end.
  
   What do the declines refer to?
hypothesis: The British shakeup