Dow Jones and Nasdaq Slide in Midmorning Trading
Wall Street retreated Tuesday as a huge decline in Home Depot Inc.'s profit last quarter offset excitement over the deal between XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
The world's largest home improvement store chain reported a 28 percent drop in fourth-quarter earnings, indicating that the home improvement industry is still being dragged down by the sluggish housing market.
The wider retail sector still looked healthy after Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s financial results came in better than expected, but those results and the buzz over new takeover activity weren't enough to keep stocks afloat Tuesday, as investors took some profits after the Dow Jones industrials' record-breaking run last week.
Investors were also pressured to sell after a plunge in energy prices, weak earnings results from wireless phone company Alltel Corp., and worries over the repercussions of last week's peanut butter recall by ConAgra Foods Inc. and the spate of cancelled flights by JetBlue Airways Corp.
In midmorning trading, the Dow fell 42.62, or 0.33 percent, to 12,724.95, pulling back after rising more than 200 points over the past four trading sessions. Markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day.
Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 4.80, or 0.33 percent, at 1,450.74, and the Nasdaq composite index was down 11.71, or 0.47 percent, to 2,484.60.
Bonds fell, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.70 percent from 4.69 percent late Friday, even after the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported in its index of business activity that economic growth in the region was below average in January.
The dollar rose against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
Oil prices tumbled $1.49 to $57.90 on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the Iranian president said his country would stop enriching uranium and return to negotiations, but only if Western nations do so, too.
Home Depot fell 30 cents to $41.14 after reporting earnings that fell short of analysts' expectations.
Wal-Mart rose $1.28, or 2.6 percent, to $49.76 after issuing its financial results, which showed fourth-quarter profit growth of 8.8 percent, better than analysts expected, and an upbeat forecast for 2007.
XM Satellite rose $1.39, or 10 percent, to $15.35, and Sirius Satellite rose 24 cents, or 6.4 percent, to $3.94, after their announced merger of equals. The deal still faces significant obstacles from the Federal Communications Commission.
In addition to the merger between XM Satellite and Sirius announced Sunday, British pharmaceutical company Shire PLC is buying U.S. drug maker New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $2.6 billion, and that Vulcan Materials Co. is buying construction aggregate maker Florida Rock Industries Inc. for $4.6 billion.
Vulcan Materials Co. fell 60 cents to $111.21, while Florida Rock Industries Inc. soared $19.64, or 42 percent, to $66.58.
Shire's proposed buy of New River caused the U.S. drug marker's stock to surge $5.21, or 8.9 percent, to $63.56. U.S. shares of Shire rose $1.92, or 3 percent, to $65.20.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 262.53 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 4.76, or 0.58 percent, to 813.39.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.01 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.52 percent, Germany's DAX index was down 0.47 percent, and France's CAC-40 was down 0.72 percent.
Published by Madlen Read, AP Business Writer
posted by Stock Administrator @ 11:03 AM
Dow Jones and Nasdaq Slide in Midmorning Trading
Wall Street retreated Tuesday as a huge decline in Home Depot Inc.'s profit last quarter offset excitement over the deal between XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
The world's largest home improvement store chain reported a 28 percent drop in fourth-quarter earnings, indicating that the home improvement industry is still being dragged down by the sluggish housing market.
The wider retail sector still looked healthy after Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s financial results came in better than expected, but those results and the buzz over new takeover activity weren't enough to keep stocks afloat Tuesday, as investors took some profits after the Dow Jones industrials' record-breaking run last week.
Investors were also pressured to sell after a plunge in energy prices, weak earnings results from wireless phone company Alltel Corp., and worries over the repercussions of last week's peanut butter recall by ConAgra Foods Inc. and the spate of cancelled flights by JetBlue Airways Corp.
In midmorning trading, the Dow fell 42.62, or 0.33 percent, to 12,724.95, pulling back after rising more than 200 points over the past four trading sessions. Markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day.
Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 4.80, or 0.33 percent, at 1,450.74, and the Nasdaq composite index was down 11.71, or 0.47 percent, to 2,484.60.
Bonds fell, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.70 percent from 4.69 percent late Friday, even after the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported in its index of business activity that economic growth in the region was below average in January.
The dollar rose against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
Oil prices tumbled $1.49 to $57.90 on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the Iranian president said his country would stop enriching uranium and return to negotiations, but only if Western nations do so, too.
Home Depot fell 30 cents to $41.14 after reporting earnings that fell short of analysts' expectations.
Wal-Mart rose $1.28, or 2.6 percent, to $49.76 after issuing its financial results, which showed fourth-quarter profit growth of 8.8 percent, better than analysts expected, and an upbeat forecast for 2007.
XM Satellite rose $1.39, or 10 percent, to $15.35, and Sirius Satellite rose 24 cents, or 6.4 percent, to $3.94, after their announced merger of equals. The deal still faces significant obstacles from the Federal Communications Commission.
In addition to the merger between XM Satellite and Sirius announced Sunday, British pharmaceutical company Shire PLC is buying U.S. drug maker New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $2.6 billion, and that Vulcan Materials Co. is buying construction aggregate maker Florida Rock Industries Inc. for $4.6 billion.
Vulcan Materials Co. fell 60 cents to $111.21, while Florida Rock Industries Inc. soared $19.64, or 42 percent, to $66.58.
Shire's proposed buy of New River caused the U.S. drug marker's stock to surge $5.21, or 8.9 percent, to $63.56. U.S. shares of Shire rose $1.92, or 3 percent, to $65.20.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 262.53 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 4.76, or 0.58 percent, to 813.39.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.01 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.52 percent, Germany's DAX index was down 0.47 percent, and France's CAC-40 was down 0.72 percent.
Published by Madlen Read, AP Business Writer
The world's largest home improvement store chain reported a 28 percent drop in fourth-quarter earnings, indicating that the home improvement industry is still being dragged down by the sluggish housing market.
The wider retail sector still looked healthy after Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s financial results came in better than expected, but those results and the buzz over new takeover activity weren't enough to keep stocks afloat Tuesday, as investors took some profits after the Dow Jones industrials' record-breaking run last week.
Investors were also pressured to sell after a plunge in energy prices, weak earnings results from wireless phone company Alltel Corp., and worries over the repercussions of last week's peanut butter recall by ConAgra Foods Inc. and the spate of cancelled flights by JetBlue Airways Corp.
In midmorning trading, the Dow fell 42.62, or 0.33 percent, to 12,724.95, pulling back after rising more than 200 points over the past four trading sessions. Markets were closed Monday for Presidents Day.
Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 4.80, or 0.33 percent, at 1,450.74, and the Nasdaq composite index was down 11.71, or 0.47 percent, to 2,484.60.
Bonds fell, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.70 percent from 4.69 percent late Friday, even after the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported in its index of business activity that economic growth in the region was below average in January.
The dollar rose against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
Oil prices tumbled $1.49 to $57.90 on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the Iranian president said his country would stop enriching uranium and return to negotiations, but only if Western nations do so, too.
Home Depot fell 30 cents to $41.14 after reporting earnings that fell short of analysts' expectations.
Wal-Mart rose $1.28, or 2.6 percent, to $49.76 after issuing its financial results, which showed fourth-quarter profit growth of 8.8 percent, better than analysts expected, and an upbeat forecast for 2007.
XM Satellite rose $1.39, or 10 percent, to $15.35, and Sirius Satellite rose 24 cents, or 6.4 percent, to $3.94, after their announced merger of equals. The deal still faces significant obstacles from the Federal Communications Commission.
In addition to the merger between XM Satellite and Sirius announced Sunday, British pharmaceutical company Shire PLC is buying U.S. drug maker New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $2.6 billion, and that Vulcan Materials Co. is buying construction aggregate maker Florida Rock Industries Inc. for $4.6 billion.
Vulcan Materials Co. fell 60 cents to $111.21, while Florida Rock Industries Inc. soared $19.64, or 42 percent, to $66.58.
Shire's proposed buy of New River caused the U.S. drug marker's stock to surge $5.21, or 8.9 percent, to $63.56. U.S. shares of Shire rose $1.92, or 3 percent, to $65.20.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 262.53 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 4.76, or 0.58 percent, to 813.39.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.01 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.52 percent, Germany's DAX index was down 0.47 percent, and France's CAC-40 was down 0.72 percent.
Published by Madlen Read, AP Business Writer
posted by Stock Administrator @ 11:03 AM
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