Google Could Catch a Cold From the Economy

SAN FRANCISCO - Google's(GOOG Quote) acknowledgement of a slowing economy is causing investors to wonder whether the tech giant is finally succumbing to it.

Shares for Google continued to slide on Friday, one day after it missed estimates for second-quarter earnings. The stock was down 8.7% to $486.89 in recent trading.

In a rare admission, Chief Executive Eric Schmidt talked about "a more challenging economic environment," something he was reluctant to do in past quarters, which created a sense -- or at least a hope -- that perhaps Google might be immune. ...