NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street retreated Friday as investors
contended with wider-than-expected losses at insurer American
International Group Inc. and another worrisome spike in oil prices.
The Dow Jones industrial average at times gave up more than 100
points.
AIG's loss for the first quarter rekindled investors' anxiety
about the strained state of the global financial system. AIG posted
a loss of $7.81 billion - its second straight quarterly loss - and
revealed plans to raise $12.5 billion in the coming months. The
world's largest insurer, like many of its peers in the financial
services sector, has seen its investments in the credit markets
plunge in value.
Meanwhile, crude oil prices extended their trek into uncharted
territory, further stoking Wall Street's concerns about inflation.
Oil futures rose above $126 a barrel for the first time before
giving back some of the advance. Light, sweet crude recently rose
$1.16 to $124.85 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"I think what we're seeing so far is a reaction principally to
the AIG news," said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist
at Federated Investors. "That news came as something of a surprise
to some and a wake-up call to most that the financial-service
companies are not yet out of the woods."
In early afternoon trading, the Dow fell 103.89, or 0.81
percent, to 12,762.89.
Broader stock indicators were also lower a day after the stock
market notched a modest advance. The Standard & Poor's 500 index
fell 9.80, or 0.70 percent, to 1,387.88, and the Nasdaq composite
index fell 8.36, or 0.34 percent, to 2,442.88.
Bond prices rose as investors sought the safety of government
debt. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves
opposite its price, fell to 3.76 percent from 3.78 percent late
Thursday.
Gold prices advanced, while the dollar traded mixed against
other major global currencies.
The economic figures arriving Friday underscored the slowdown in
the U.S. economy. The Commerce Department said the U.S. trade
deficit narrowed in March as demand for imports registered the
biggest decline since the last recession was ending. The deficit
stood at $58.2 billion, a decrease of 5.6 percent from February.
The 2.9 percent drop in demand for imports was the steepest monthly
decline since December 2001 - a month after the last recession
ended.
In corporate news, AIG fell $3.46, or 7.8 percent, to $40.69
after reporting its loss. The stock was by far the steepest
decliner among the 30 that comprise the Dow industrials.
Citigroup Inc. said it hopes to shed about $500 billion in
assets and increase revenue by 9 percent over the next few years as
it tries to recover from big losses tied to deterioration in the
mortgage and credit markets. Citi, one of the Dow 30 stocks,
slipped 18 cents to $24.12.
General Motors Corp., also a Dow component, said in a regulatory
filing it would provide financial support to help settle the
10-week strike at auto parts supplier American Axle and
Manufacturing Holdings Inc. GM fell 59 cents, or 2.8 percent, to
$20.56.
Orlando noted that the market has pulled back this week after a
sizable rebound in the last two months and that some investors
might be eager to lock in profits while Wall Street irons out some
concerns about the financial sector.
"Our view has been that the market, generally speaking, is in
pretty good shape with the exception of the financial service
companies and the consumer dictionary companies," he said, noting
that the news from AIG and Citigroup are important reminders of the
troubles remaining among financials.
Investors' caution Friday precedes what will likely be a busy
week of economic news now that the flow of quarterly earnings
reports is beginning to ebb.
"Next week I think will be a fairly important economic week,"
Orlando said, pointing to expected reports on retail sales, retail
inventories, industrial production and regional manufacturing.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by about 3 to 2 on the
New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 556.2 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 2.18, or 0.30
percent, to 717.37.
Overseas, Japan's stock market fell 2.06 percent. Britain's FTSE
index fell 1.05 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.97 percent, and
France's CAC-40 fell 1.88 percent.
On the Net:
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Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com
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