Stocks Stuck in Negative Territory
Stocks remained lower in the wake of yesterday's sharp selloff.
The
Dow Jones Industrial Average
was down 1 to 9671. The
S&P 500
was down 1 to 1262. The tech-heavy
Nasdaq Composite Index
was down 5 to 2317. The small-cap
Russell 2000
was down 1 to 383.
TheStreet.com Internet Sector
index was down 12 to 585.
TheStreet.com E-Commerce Index
was down 2 to 106.
The 30-year Treasury bond was up 10/32 to 95 28/32, yielding 5.53%.
On the economic front today,
durable goods orders
fell sharply, down 5% in February, the
Commerce Department
reported.
In other news,
Abby Joseph Cohen
of
Goldman Sachs
revised her year-end S&P 500 price target to 1325 from 1275-1300 and her Dow target to 10,300 from 9850.
Worries over earnings and the situation in Kosovo was blamed in part for yesterday's selloff and continued to weigh on the market today.
However, some say those factors were just excuses for selling in a market that was poised to fall considering its poor technical condition and its recent sharp run-up.
At first, 10,000 on the Dow was a "purely psychological" barrier, but now it's becoming a technical barrier, said Ricky Harrington, senior vice president and technical analyst at
Interstate/Johnson Lane
. He said any return to that level would find sellers.
Harrington noted that especially in the last two or three weeks new lows have outnumbered new highs by about 2 to 1.
If the Dow can find support at 9400 to 9500, it could get a rebound to 9800 or maybe a little higher, possibly next week. However, the blue-chip average will run into trouble there, Harrington said.
Meanwhile, cosmetics giant
Revlon
(REV) - Get Report
, which has surged recently on speculation that it is a takeover target, was jumping again today, up 4 11/16, or 28%, to 21 3/4. Yesterday, the
New York Stock Exchange
said Revlon declined to comment on its unusual market activity or rumors when the Big Board contacted it and asked that the company issue a statement which might explain the unusual activity in the stock.
On the
New York Stock Exchange
, decliners were beating advancers 1,230 to 1,196 on 222 million shares. On the
Nasdaq Stock Market
, losers were leading winners 1,668 to 1,423 on 267 million shares.
On the NYSE, 44 issues had set new 52-week lows while 5 had touched new highs. On the Nasdaq, 56 issues had set new lows while new highs totaled 10.
On the Big Board,
America Online
(AOL)
was most active, with 14 million shares changing hands. It was down 4 1/8 to 116 7/8.
On the Nasdaq,
Dell
(DELL) - Get Report
was most active, with 23 million shares changing hands. It was up 1 1/4 to 37.
9:55 a.m.: Stocks Extend Tuesday's Losses
Stocks were mostly weaker in the early going after yesterday's whopping selloff.
Meanwhile,
Abby Joseph Cohen
of
Goldman Sachs
revised her year-end
S&P 500
price target to 1325 from 1275-1300 and her
Dow Jones Industrial Average
target to 10,300 from 9850.
The situation in Kosovo is also on the market's mind.
The Dow was down 14 to 9658. The S&P 500 was down 2 to 1260. The
Nasdaq Composite Index
was down 15 to 2307. The
Russell 2000
was down fractionally to 383.
TheStreet.com Internet Sector
index was down 14 to 583.
TheStreet.com E-Commerce Index
was down 3 to 106.
The 30-year Treasury bond was up 12/32 to 95 30/32, yielding 5.53%.
Most Up at Open -- NYSE
IBM (IBM) - Get Report, up 2 5/8 to 168
: IBM and corporate data storage equipment supplier
EMC
(EMC)
set a five-year strategic alliance valued at $3 billion.
Most Up at Open -- Nasdaq
uBid (UBID) , up 3 1/2 to 75
.
Most Down at Open -- NYSE
America Online (AOL) , down 2 to 119
.
Most Down at Open -- Nasdaq
RealNetworks (RNWK) - Get Report, down 3 5/16 to 114 11/16
.