Stocks turn lower after weaker-than-expected GDP
1 minute ago
By STEPHEN BERNARD
AP Business Writer
(AP:NEW YORK) Stocks fell Friday after the government said the economy grew at a slightly slower pace in the first quarter than was expected. A drop in consumer sentiment contributed to the selling.
The gross domestic product rose at a 3.2 percent annual pace in the January-March period. That's below the 3.4 percent rate economists polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast.
While the GDP was up for the third straight quarter, it was down from the fourth quarter's 5.6 percent, a rate that was inflated by government stimulus spending and companies restocking their depleted inventories. For the economy to show healthy growth, it would have to grow at a faster pace than it did the first three months of the year. Growth would have to equal 5 percent for all of 2010 just to lower the average jobless rate for the year by 1 percentage point.
The Labor Department will release its April employment report next week. Economists predict the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent.
Analysts were relatively upbeat that the first-quarter growth rate, though slow, probably was good enough to help avoid a "double-dip" recession.
"GDP was slightly lower than expectations, but shows the economic recovery is probably sustainable," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners Inc. in New York.
Investors were disappointed by a separate report from Reuters and the University of Michigan that showed consumer sentiment rose to 72.2 in April from a preliminary April reading of 69.5. However, it was still lower than March's 73.6. Economists had forecast a reading of 71.
The consumer sentiment report shows the "consumer isn't fully recovered," said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia.
Investors want to see data that shows month-over-month improvement, Luschini added.
Financial stocks were pulled down by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which is now facing a criminal investigation for its dealings in subprime mortgage securities. A Standard & Poor's equity analyst downgraded Goldman Sachs's stock to a "sell" rating Friday morning. Its shares dropped more than 7 percent.
In midday trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 11.41, or 0.1 percent, to 11,155.91. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.55, or 0.3 percent, to 1,203.23, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 12.81, or 0.5 percent, to 2,499.11.
The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index rose this month, further evidence of a recovery in the manufacturing sector. The index jumped to 63.8 in April, from 58.8 last month. Economists had been expecting the index to rise to 60.
Signs of an improving domestic economy pushed stocks higher the past two days, after fresh concerns about European debt problems sent shares plummeting on Tuesday. The Dow jumped 122 points Thursday, its biggest jump since March 5, after another batch of strong earnings and a Labor Department report that showed initial claims for jobless benefits fell last week.
In the last trading session of April, the Dow is set to post its third straight monthly gain. However, unless the Dow can turn around and rise by at least 37 points Friday, the index would snap a streak of eight straight weekly gains. The Dow hasn't risen nine straight weeks in 15 years.
Despite the gains the past two days, investors are still keeping an eye on the European debt problems. The biggest concerns are in Greece, where the country faces loan repayments in a couple of weeks. If it is unable to tap a joint European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout package before May 19, the country could default on its debt.
Analysts fear that debt problems will spread across the continent and stunt a global economic recovery.
Greece, Portugal and Spain all saw their debt ratings slashed by Standard & Poor's earlier this week. Greece's was cut to junk status. Lower ratings make it more expensive to borrow money, which would only add to debt burdens already facing some European nations.
European markets fell. Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 1.2 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.2 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 0.7 percent.
The euro rose against the dollar, but analysts remain cautious about its long-term future. Some have said that the debt problems could further drive down its value or lead to a split among the 16 countries that share the currency.
Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs is again contending with negative headlines. The big Wall Street bank _ which is already facing civil fraud charges for misrepresenting details about subprime mortgage securities _ is now also facing a criminal investigation.
"They're really going after Goldman pretty hard," said Ryan Detrick, senior technical analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research. "That's got people on edge."
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation against the bank over mortgage securities deals it arranged. Many blame the credit crisis on the collapse of similar securities which were traded by many banks around the world.
Detrick said that after all asset bubbles, regulators and politicians look for companies or executives to blame and Goldman is currently at the top of that list.
Goldman shares tumbled $13.99, or 8.7 percent, to $146.25.
Earnings again largely topped expectations. Both oil company and Dow component Chevron Corp., homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc. and consumer products maker Newell Rubbermaid Inc. saw shares rise after reporting better-than-expected profit.
D.R. Horton shares jumped 86 cents, or 6 percent, to $15.10. Chevron rose 49 cents to $82.78. Newell Rubbermaid jumped 48 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $17.43.
About four stocks fell for every three that rose on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 487.7 million shares, compared with 522.7 million shares traded at the same time Thursday.
Bond prices rose as stocks dipped. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.69 percent from 3.73 percent late Thursday.
Gold and oil prices both rose.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.45, or 0.5 percent, to 734.29. |
