The euro tumbled to a fresh nine-year low on Thursday and European shares jumped after weaker-than-forecast data helped to strengthen the European Central Bank's case for a bold new stimulus plan, dpa reported. The euro slumped to 1.1766 dollars - its lowest level since the end of 2005 - after a key indicator released by the European Commission showed the eurozone economy ending 2014 on a downbeat note. The commission said its closely watched Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) was unchanged at 100.7 points for the third consecutive month in December as the currency bloc economy struggled to remain on a growth trajectory. Annual inflation in the eurozone fell to minus 0.2 per cent in December following a plunge in oil prices, the European Union's statistics office Eurostat said. The euro has now lost 16 per cent of its value against the dollar since May.
