Dow drops 107 on global slowing worries
The Dow holds at 13,000, but the S&P 500 drops below 1,400. Will Fed Chairman Bernanke signal new stimulus plans? Retailers see strong back-to-school sales in August. Sears is leaving the S&P 500. Crude oil and gold slip.
Updated: 8:21 p.m. ETStocks sold off today as worries about global economic growth trumped strong reports of August sales by U.S. retailers. The losses accelerated into the close by fears that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke won't signal any big stimulus moves in a Friday speech in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) fell 107 points, barely finishing above 13,000. The blue chips are now down slightly for August with a day of trading to go. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) finished below 1,400 for the first time since Aug. 6.
The unease was set off by U.S. initial jobless claims, which were unchanged at a seasonally adjusted 374,000. German unemployment rolls grew by 9,000 to 2.9 million, its fifth straight gain, and Japanese retail sales disappointed.
The news was offset by generally strong August sales reported by U.S. retail chains as the back-to-school shopping season took off. Macy's (M), Nordstrom (JWN), Ross Stores (ROST) and TJ Maxx parent TJX Stores (TJX) reported sales gains of 8% or more.
The Dow closed at 13,001. The index had fallen to as low as 12,979. It was the Dow's first loss of 100 points or more since Aug. 23. The S&P 500 was off 11 points to 1,399, just above its low on the day at 1,397. The Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPX) dropped 32 points to 3,049, its lowest close since Aug. 15.
Article continues below. The Nasdaq-100 Index ($NDX) was off 30 points to 2,754. Apple (AAPL), the largest influence on the index, was off $9.60 to $663.87.
With one day to go in August, the Dow is down 0.06%, but the S&P 500 is up 1.5% and the Nasdaq has gained 3.7%.
All 10 sectors of the S&P 500 were lower today. But defensive stocks -- consumer staples and health care -- were the best performers, relatively speaking. Materials, energy and technology stocks were the laggards. Railroads and logistics companies also were weak.
Metals, energy and technology stocks were the market's laggards. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX) fell 89 cents to $34.69. Cliff's Natural Resources (CLF), a big iron-ore producer, fell $1.09 to $35.75. JDSU Uniphase (JDSU) dropped 68 cents to $11.07, and Netflix (NFLX) slid $2.96 to $60.48.
Amazon.com (AMZN) reached an all-time high of $250, even though it closed lower on the day. Also reaching an all-time high: Costco Wholesale (COST), which hit $99.06 before finishing at $98.59, up $1.48 on the day.
After hours, teen retailer Zumiez (ZUMZ) shares fell $4.47, or 13.9%, to $27.75 after earnings missed Street estimates on higher costs and guidance looked shaky. Revenue in the fiscal second quarter was up 20.4% to $135.1 million, but costs were up 27%.
Futures trading suggests stocks will open modestly lower. But Bernanke's speech starts 30 minutes after the open.
Crude falls with economic concerns
Crude oil (-CL) in New York settled down 87 cents to $94.62 a barrel. Brent crude, however, was up 18 cents to $112.72 at 3 p.m. ET. The national average price of gasoline was up 2.2 cents to $3.826 a gallon, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
Gold (-GC) settled down $5.90 to $1,657.10 an ounce. The dollar rose against major currencies.
Interest rates were lower, with the 10-year Treasury yield falling to 1.62% from Wednesday's 1.654% as some investors looked to the relative safety of U.S. securities.
| Energy prices -- New York close (updated) | ||||||||||||
| Thur. | Wed. | Month chg. | YTD chg. | |||||||||
| Crude oil (-CL) | $94.62 | $95.49 | 7.45% | -4.26% | ||||||||
| (per barrel) | ||||||||||||
| Heating oil (-HO) | $3.1333 | $3.1224 | 10.02% | 7.52% | ||||||||
| (per gallon) | ||||||||||||
| Natural gas (-NG) | $2.7480 | $2.6850 | -14.37% | -8.06% | ||||||||
| (per mil. BTU) | ||||||||||||
| Unleaded gasoline (-RB) | $2.9080 | $2.9168 | 4.82% | 9.43% | ||||||||
| (per gallon) | ||||||||||||
| Brent crude | $112.65 | $112.54 | 7.35% | 4.91% | ||||||||
| (per barrel) | ||||||||||||
| Retail gasoline | $3.8260 | $3.8040 | 9.31% | 16.79% | ||||||||
| (per gallon; AAA) | ||||||||||||
Sears will leave the S&P 500
Sears Holdings (SHLD) was down $4.55 to $52.90 after Standard & Poor's announced it was removing the retailer from the S&P 500 after Tuesday's close.
The reason is that less than half the company's outstanding shares are owned by the public, S&P said.
S&P is replacing Sears with Dutch chemical-maker LyondellBasell Industries (LYB). LyondellBasell was up $1.78 to $48.67.
Before Bernanke: Signs of softening economies
Traders were still waiting for Bernanke's Friday speech in Jackson Hole in hopes of understanding when and how the Fed might do a new economic stimulus package. The speech is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET.
The Fed boss, however, may disappoint Wall Street, choosing only to say the Fed will act if needed. Jobless claims data suggest the labor picture may be stagnant, but stagnant isn't remotely close to deteriorating.
At the same time, U.S. consumer purchases grew 0.4% after being little changed in June, Commerce Department figures showed. Economists had expected a 0.5% gain.
Meanwhile, European stocks closed lower as German unemployment worsened. As important, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the nation will delay deciding whether to seek a sovereign bailout following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande. Spain's IBEX-35 Index ($ES:IB) lost 1.5%, and Germany's DAX Index ($DE:DAX) slid 1.6%.
Japanese retail sales dropped 0.8% in July from a year earlier, the first decline in eight months. South Korean manufacturers’ confidence stayed near the lowest level since 2009.
Amazon says it has no Kindle Fires to sell
The sell-off hurt Amazon.com, which had cheerfully said this morning that it has sold out all the current model of its Kindle Fire tablet device. The company is expected to announce a new model next week that will arrive in time for the holiday shopping season. Shares were down 90 cents to $246.22.
Amazon didn't say how many Fires it has sold, but says it captured 22% of U.S. tablet sales over nine months. That would make it the second-most-popular tablet, after Apple's iPad. Tom Mainelli at research firm IDC said that figure matches his estimate of 6.7 million Fires sold, all in the U.S.
Amazon shares are up 5.5% this month and 42% this year.
Barclay's names a new CEO
British banking giant Barclays (BCS) tapped longtime executive Antony Jenkins to become its new chief, ending a nearly two-month leadership vacuum at the giant British bank following the sudden resignation of former chief Robert Diamond amid a scandal over interest-rate rigging. Barclay's shares in New York were down 20 cents to $11.55.
Carlyle has agreed to buy the performance-coatings unit of DuPont (DD) for $4.9 billion in cash, in a deal that marks the private-equity firm's third multibillion-dollar acquisition this summer. DuPont was off 36 cents to $49.58.
Citigroup (C) agreed to pay $590 million over claims that it deceived investors by hiding the extent of its dealings in toxic subprime debt. Citigroup fell 26 cents to $29.65.
Solar-panel maker First Solar (FSLR) fell $4.53 to $19.67 on news it has halted deliveries for the $1.8 billion Agua Caliente Arizona solar plant due to construction being ahead of schedule. Agua Caliente, a joint venture between NRG Energy (NRG) and Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.B) MidAmerican Energy, is already 85% built, even though the project isn't scheduled for completion until the end of 2013. The halt stoked fears First Solar's recent growth was padded by aggressive deliveries.
It's a day to be defensive
Only two of the 30 Dow stocks were higher: Merck (MRK) and Procter & Gamble (PG). They were followed by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and McDonald's (MCD). Caterpillar (CAT), Intel (INTC) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) were the laggards.
Only 63 S&P 500 shares showed gains, led by Gamestop (GME), Gap (GPS) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC). The laggards were solar-panel maker First Solar (FSLR), Sears Holdings and JDS Uniphase.
Meanwhile, nine Nasdaq-100 stocks were higher, led by Costco Wholesale (COST) and Electronic Arts (EA). Sears and Netflix were the laggards.
| Short hits from the markets -- New York close (updated) | ||||||||||||
| Thur. | Wed. | Month chg. | YTD chg. | |||||||||
| Treasury yields | ||||||||||||
| 13-week Treasury bill | 0.0900% | 0.100% | -10.00% | 800.00% | ||||||||
| 5-year Treasury note | 0.658% | 0.683% | 9.85% | -20.72% | ||||||||
| 10-year Treasury note | 1.620% | 1.654% | 8.58% | -13.42% | ||||||||
| 30-year Treasury bond | 2.738% | 2.768% | 6.25% | -5.23% | ||||||||
| Currencies | ||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollar Index | 81.713 | 81.564 | -1.21% | 1.48% | ||||||||
| British pound | 1.5795 | 1.5835 | 0.73% | 1.66% | ||||||||
| (in U.S. $) | ||||||||||||
| U.S. $ in pounds | £0.633 | £0.632 | -0.72% | -1.63% | ||||||||
| Euro in dollars | $1.25 | $1.25 | 1.76% | -3.39% | ||||||||
| (in U.S. $) | ||||||||||||
| U.S. $ in euros | € 0.799 | € 0.798 | -1.73% | 3.51% | ||||||||
| U.S. $ in yen | 78.80 | 78.70 | 0.87% | 2.21% | ||||||||
| U.S. $ in Chinese | 6.37 | 6.37 | 0.21% | 0.72% | ||||||||
| yuan | ||||||||||||
| Canada dollar | $1.008 | $1.011 | 1.14% | 2.79% | ||||||||
| (in U.S. $) | ||||||||||||
| U.S. dollar | $0.992 | $0.990 | -1.05% | -2.72% | ||||||||
| (in Canadian $) | ||||||||||||
| Commodities | ||||||||||||
| Gold (-GC) | $1,657.10 | $1,663.00 | 2.89% | 5.76% | ||||||||
| (per troy ounce) | ||||||||||||
| Copper (-HG) | $3.4465 | $3.448 | 0.85% | 0.31% | ||||||||
| (per pound) | ||||||||||||
| Silver (-SI) | $30.3670 | $30.8370 | 8.87% | 8.87% | ||||||||
| (per troy ounce) | ||||||||||||
| Wheat (-ZW) | $9.030 | $9.0575 | 1.66% | 38.34% | ||||||||
| (per bushel) | ||||||||||||
| Corn (-ZC) | $8.085 | $8.135 | 0.40% | 25.06% | ||||||||
| (per bushel) | ||||||||||||
| Cotton | $0.7694 | 0.7665 | 7.85% | -16.08% | ||||||||
| (per pound) | ||||||||||||
| Coffee | $1.6340 | 1.6665 | -6.31% | -28.85% | ||||||||
| (per pound) | ||||||||||||
| Crude oil (-CL) | $94.62 | $95.49 | 7.45% | -4.26% | ||||||||
| (per barrel) | ||||||||||||
We are suppose to be impressed BP will give $1,000,000 dollars to help Issac victims when they caused $25 billion dollars plus of damage to the Gulf Coast and only paid out like $5 billion in damages and denied the rest.
They have helped jack the price of gasoline up so high I am sure this year alone they have already recovered the $5 billion they spent in covering a few of the damages they caused.
What about the millions of birds and fish they killed and the tens of thousands of humans they have given cancer to which nobody will be able to prove ten years form now when the cancer rates of people who eat food from the Gulf die.
The Shirmp in the Gulf of Mexico 100 years ago use to be nice and white and clean. Now they are dark black color and people selling them next to fresh shrimp nice and white and pinkish just say that is the way Gulf shirmp are natural.
Nothing nature at all about the black Gulf shrimp it's oil in those shrimp turnign them black.
yep BP will steal money left and right from us by over charging for gasoline and make $125 billion profit and then try to make us feel like they care about us by giving people they have not paid all the damages they did to $1,000,000 dollars.
It makes me sick
QUOTE
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Oil giant BP says it will donate $1 million to support relief efforts related to Isaac, which lashed Louisiana and Mississippi with flooding rains and wind.
BP says the donation will be made to the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army and divided equally between the two hard-hit states.
In addition the donation, BP says it's also providing assistance to employees and their families in the region.
Two years ago, an oil rig operated by BP in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, causing a massive oil spill. Millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf over several weeks and slimed coastal areas until the blown out oil well was capped.
END QUOTE
The headline reads STOCKS FALL ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC WORRIES. It should read STIMULUS PUMPED STOCKS ARE FALLING BECAUSE BENDOVER WON'T GIVE ANYMORE FREE MONEY.
The Big Banks and Wall Street are going through financial withdrawal right now because old Bendover Bernanke knows that a round of stimulus right now would be futile. The Federal Reserve mandate was only suppose to be one task, protect the money supply by controlling inflation. Then they added two other mandates of their own, throw money into the economy to increase employment and pump the stock market up to give the appearance of prosperity. The fed has failed on all three mandates, we have commodity inflation because of the increased money supply and diluted dollar, unemployment is still at record highs and will only the banks and Wall Street are prospering at the expense of the middle class. Its time to rein in the Central Bank and do away with the whole self serving bunch.
The headline reads STOCKS FALL ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC WORRIES. It should read STIMULUS PUMPED STOCKS ARE FALLING BECAUSE BENDOVER WON'T GIVE ANYMORE FREE MONEY.
The Big Banks and Wall Street are going through financial withdrawal right now because old Bendover Bernanke knows that a round of stimulus right now would be futile. The Federal Reserve mandate was only suppose to be one task, protect the money supply by controlling inflation. Then they added two other mandates of their own, throw money into the economy to increase employment and pump the stock market up to give the appearance of prosperity. The fed has failed on all three mandates, we have commodity inflation because of the increased money supply and diluted dollar, unemployment is still at record highs and will only the banks and Wall Street are prospering at the expense of the middle class. Its time to rein in the Central Bank and do away with the whole self serving bunch.
>>>If the Obamadon't care health plan is so great, why is congress exempt?<<<
5PMFriday wrote: I would remind you that your health care matters not to those in congress, as they have a "spare no cost" plan, while you're subject to the whims of your insurance carrier, if you (the rhetorical you, not neccessarily you personally) have insurance. What matters to your congressman is how much money a health care lobby will contribute, in two years, to his re-election. Is Obama care being demonized because its bad, or because it's bad for a particular interest group?
Not sure where you went with this post...I'd like an answer from the members of Congress on this. When President Obama was asked this exact question in a 2011 television interview, he just smiled, shook his head and said nothing. The interviewer, to his everlasting shame, went on to another subject. Again, I would sure like an answer.
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