advertisement

Stocks slip, declining for third consecutive day

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks were losing momentum in late-morning trading Monday, adding to a major sell-off last week that put caution back into the market. The losses were held in check by two pieces of positive news: a decent earnings report from Berkshire Hathaway and the announcement of a bailout package for a struggling Portuguese bank.

KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average fell 40 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,453 as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost three points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,922 and the Nasdaq composite fell five points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,348.

In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 0.4 percent and France's CAC 40 rose 0.4 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.8 percent.

PORTUGESE BANK RESCUE: Portugal's central bank said late Sunday it will rescue the ailing bank Banco Espirito Santo, one of the country's biggest financial institutions. The bank's woes were a major reason European markets fell last week. Portugal's PSI 20 index rose 1 percent on the news.

BUFFETT'S BIG PAYDAY: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway rose $2.17, or 2 percent, to $128.01. Berkshire reported a profit of $6.4 billion last quarter, helped by its insurance division Geico, which performed well above Wall Street's expectations. Berkshire's investment portfolio was also a big driver of profits last quarter.

THE AFTERMATH: Investors are still dealing with last week's market rout, where the S&P 500 fell nearly 3 percent in five days. It was the worst week for the index since June 2012.

"There does appear to be a little caution in the markets," said Alpari analyst Craig Erlam. "Investors are a little concerned that the sell-off which started last week is not over and could lead to something much bigger."

Last week, investors had several reasons to sell. There was the escalating violence in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, as well as concerns that the Federal Reserve was poised to start raising interest rates next year.

LIGHTS OFF: Utility stocks were among the hardest hit. Consolidated Edison, PG&E and Duke Energy fell 1 percent or more. The Dow Jones utility index, which includes 15 utility stocks, fell 1 percent.

OUT OF FASHION: Michael Kors dropped $6.33, or 8 percent, to $75.50. While the handbag and women's fashion company reported a rise in second quarter earnings, the company's profit margin shrank for the second consecutive quarter.

CURRENCIES, OIL: Currency markets were flat. The dollar was steady at 102.57 yen and the euro held at $1.3422. Benchmark U.S. crude for September delivery was down 18 cents at $97.70 per barrel. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 2.48 percent.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.