UPDATE: US Stocks Close Sharply Lower; DJIA Ends Month Flat

By Donna Kardos Yesalavich
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES


NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--U.S. stocks tumbled Friday, with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Alcoa leading the Dow Jones Industrial Average's components lower as investors again grew concerned about the economy after the short-lived excitement over Thursday's good report on gross domestic product.

The Dow Friday posted its biggest one-day point drop since April 20, and ended October just 0.45 point above where it began. Other major measures, including the Standard & Poor's 500 and the Nasdaq Composite, ended the month in the red, marking their first monthly declines since February.

The Dow closed down 249.85 points, or 2.51%, at 9712.73, marking its 10th triple-digit movement this month. Five of them were down and five up, reflecting how volatile the market has gotten as investors try to get a handle on whether the 48% surge in the Dow since March can be justified by economic fundamentals. For the week, the Dow fell 259.45 points, or 2.6%, marking its second consecutive week in the red.



Among the Dow's big movers Friday, Bank of America tumbled 1.15, or 7.3%, to 14.58, while JPMorgan slid 2.58, or 5.8%, to 41.77, and Alcoa dropped 58 cents, or 4.5%, to 12.42.

Across other measures, the Nasdaq Composite fell 52.44, or 2.50%, to 2045.11. It was down 5.08% for the week, and 3.65% for the month.

The Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 29.93, or 2.81%, to 1036.18. For the week, it dropped 4.02%; it was down 1.98% for the month.

Friday's declines come as the latest measure of consumer spending came in weak, reflecting the biggest drop since December 2008, although it was in line with economists' expectations.

Still, investors are growing hungry for economic data to start showing improvement and strength, rather than simply being above or in line with expectations. In addition, they are starting to wonder how much of the economic growth that was reported Thursday would have been there if it weren't for all the government support through such programs as the "cash for clunkers" funding for automobile purchases.

Nonetheless, some market participants said Friday's decline was typical of a market in recovery, and therefore no major cause for concern.

"It's not unprecedented after having such a strong rally," said Mary Ann Bartels, head of U.S. technical and market analysis at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "Markets need to consolidate in order to achieve new recovery highs, and a correction will broaden out the base-building process we've been in since last year," giving stocks more support for a move higher, she said.

Life insurers fell in an exaggeration of the declines across the market, as the sector is exposed to equities through its variable-annuity guarantees and other equity-linked retirement-income products. MetLife was among the decliners, slumping 2.81, or 7.6%, to 34.03, after it swung to a third-quarter loss on $1.4 billion in investment losses. The life insurer's stock had climbed 7.8% Wednesday ahead of the report.

McAfee declined 1.87, or 4.3%, to 41.88, after the security-software company said its third-quarter profit fell 25% as higher costs led to lower margins.

Stereo maker Harman International Industries was a bright spot, surging 4.61, or 14%, to 37.61, after the company reported fiscal first-quarter sales above Street expectations. The company said its markets are stabilizing and it is gaining market share.

Estee Lauder also rose, climbing 1.36, or 3.3%, to 42.50, after its fiscal first-quarter profit more than doubled as the beauty-products company posted higher earnings across all of its businesses. Goldman Sachs raised its investment rating on the stock to neutral from conviction sell.

ITT fell 3.66, or 6.7%, to 50.70, after the defense and industrial conglomerate reported a 73% drop in third-quarter profit, stemming from a $131 million charge for asbestos-liability claims.

Cummins was down 2.86, or 6.2%, to 43.06, after the engine maker reported its third-quarter earnings fell 59% from last year's record results as it struggles in the face of weak North American and European trucking and construction markets.

Beckman Coulter fell 2.73, or 4.1%, to 64.33. The maker of biomedical instrument systems and test equipment posted a 94% plunge in third-quarter earnings as restructuring and acquisition costs masked higher sales and margins.

Universal Health Services' latest quarterly earnings beat analysts' expectations, but its shares fell 5.07, or 8.4%, to 55.65, as investors focused on the hospital operator's growing bad debt, which climbed more than analysts had been expecting. The news weighed on Tenet Healthcare, which fell 37 cents, or 6.7%, to 5.12.