Wall Street ends lower on profit taking

Written by Reuters
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 06:11

NEW YORK: Stocks retreated from 12-month highs on Tuesday, Oct 20 as disappointing housing and inflation data prompted investors to book recent gains despite strong results from bellwethers including Apple and Caterpillar, according to Reuters.

New CONSTRUCTION [] of U.S. homes rose less than expected in September and U.S. producer prices posted an unexpected decline, both pointing to an anemic economic recovery.

DuPont shares fell 2.2 percent to US$33.87, making it a top drag in the S&P materials sector and the Dow industrials after the chemical maker posted higher-than-expected third-quarter profit, but revenue fell short of Wall Street estimates.

After the closing bell, Yahoo Inc, one of the largest sellers of online display advertising, said third- quarter profit more than tripled from a year ago, beating Wall Street's estimates and sending its stock up 4.1 percent to US$17.88.

Flash memory maker SanDisk Corp also reported results after the bell that easily topped Wall Street's expectations. Its stock soared almost 10 percent in extended trading to US$23.62.

During regular trading, shares of companies in the materials sector declined as commodity prices fell. The Reuters/Jefferies CRB commodity index was off for the first time in seven sessions and crude oil settled lower for the first day in nine.

Shares of home builders also fell, with the Dow Jones home construction index down 2.1 percent.

"The market is trying to absorb all the earnings news and see where the economy stands. The market has rallied recently pretty good, so it's giving back some of the gains," said Giri Cherukuri, head trader at OakBrook Investments LLC in Lisle, Illinois.

"Off the weaker housing data, people are forecasting a little bit weaker economy and that is hurting commodities, as the economy may not be as strong as previously expected."

Caterpillar Inc shares hit a 12-month high after the machinery maker's third-quarter earnings soared past expectations.

Caterpillar, up 3 percent at US$59.61, was the Dow's best performer.

But the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average dropped 50.71 points, or 0.50 percent, to end at 10,041.48. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 6.85 points, or 0.62 percent, to 1,091.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 12.85 points, or 0.59 percent, to close at 2,163.47.

Coca-Cola Co fell 1.3 percent to US$54.07 after reporting sales that also missed expectations.

Crude oil fell and hurt shares of energy companies. U.S. November crude oil futures expired at the close and settled at US$79.09 a barrel, down 0.65 percent, or 52 cents. - Reuters