NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Friday, with the NYSE composite stock index turning negative for the year as Facebook Inc stumbled in its market debut and investors were cautious ahead of a G8 summit on the weekend expected to address Europe’s debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 61.61 points, or 0.50 percent, to 12,380.88. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 6.90 points, or 0.53 percent, to 1,297.96. The Nasdaq Composite lost 20.81 points, or 0.74 percent, to 2,792.88.

(Reporting By Edward Krudy, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday, with equities unchanged by the delayed market debut of Facebook .

Facebook rose 11 percent to $42 in early trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was down 7.34 points, or 0.06 percent, at 12,435.15. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.spx> was up 0.64 points, or 0.05 percent, at 1,305.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 5.14 points, or 0.18 percent, at 2,808.55.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Dave Zimmerman)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks hit a four-month low on Thursday as rising Spanish bond yields increased investor anxiety over that country’s banks and another round of weak data undermined hopes for U.S. economic recovery.

Growing worries over developments in the euro zone and lackluster economic data pushed the S&P’s losing streak to five consecutive days. The index, which closed at a level not seen since mid-January, has now relinquished more than half of its gains from the first quarter.

“There is not a lot of interest in the equity market,” said Jason Weisberg, managing director at Seaport Securities Corp in New York. “The overhang with Europe is so heavy, people are tired of playing whack-a-mole, and their portfolios are the mole.”

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 156.06 points, or 1.24 percent, to 12,442.49. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 19.94 points, or 1.51 percent, to 1,304.86. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 60.35 points, or 2.10 percent, to 2,813.69.

Caterpillar Inc dropped 4.5 percent to $87.77 as the biggest drag on the Dow after the heavy equipment company’s dealers reported slowing sales for April. [ID:nL1E8GH5OK] The Dow declined for an eleventh session in the past 12.

A gauge of future U.S. economic activity fell in April for the first time in seven months, and the Philadelphia Federal Reserve’s index of business conditions hit its lowest since September.

In addition, the weekly claims for jobless benefits showed no improvement, a sign the pace of hiring remains lackluster.

Spain’s El Mundo newspaper reported that customers at troubled Spanish lender Bankia had withdrawn more than 1 billion euros over the past week, a report which the Spanish government denied.

Adding to concerns about the region, Spain’s borrowing costs shot up at a bond auction. Bankia shares fell 14 percent in European trading after sliding as much as 30 percent earlier.

News that some Greek banks face emergency funding needs hurt sentiment and caused a further decline in risk assets, which have dropped over recent weeks. The CBOE Volatility Index jumped 9.3 percent and hit its highest level since mid-December.

With a pattern of brief gains during recent trading sessions fizzling quickly, bulls saw little reason to fight the selling pressure.

“Everyone is inclined to sell into rallies rather than buy into dips, find any excuse to sell,” said Terry Morris, senior equity manager for National Penn Investors Trust Company in Reading, Pennsylvania.

After the closing bell, Gap Inc shares jumped 6 percent to $27.89 after the clothing retailer reported first-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street expectations and boosted its yearly profit forecast.

Facebook Inc priced its initial public offering at $38 per share, giving the world’s No. 1 online social network a $104 billion valuation in the third largest offering in U.S. history. The stock begins trading on Friday on the Nasdaq.

The Nasdaq fell on weakness in tech shares. Apple Inc lost 2.9 percent to $530.12 and Qualcomm Inc fell 3.3 percent to $57.16.

Dollar Tree fell 6.1 percent to $95.13 and was one of the biggest percentage decliners on the Nasdaq 100 after giving a second-quarter profit outlook that was below expectations.

The S&P has fallen 6.1 percent so far in May, and while volatility is expected to continue, the persistence of the losses have some analysts forecasting a near-term rebound.

Wal-Mart shares advanced 4.2 percent to $61.68 after the world’s largest retailer reported better-than-expected quarterly profit.

Sears Holdings Corp gained 3.1 percent to $52.42 after the company said it plans to spin off a large part of its stake in its Canada unit to better focus on its U.S. business.

GameStop Corp tumbled 11.1 percent to $18.52, the biggest percentage decliner on the S&P, after it forecast second-quarter earnings that were below expectations.

Volume was heavy with about 8.35 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq, above the daily average of 6.81 billion.

Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 2,652 to 412, while on the Nasdaq, decliners beat advancers 2,021 to 483.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Thursday, with the S&P 500 poised for a fifth straight day of declines as already nervous investors were greeted by a round of weak domestic economic data while the euro zone remained turbulent.

Both the S&P and the Nasdaq fell as much as 1 percent, with the Nasdaq‘s losses wider as large-cap tech shares fell.

A gauge of future U.S. economic activity fell in April for the first time in seven months and the Philadelphia Fed business conditions index hit its lowest since September.

In addition, the weekly claims for jobless benefits remained at levels which indicated the pace of hiring remains lackluster, increasing worries about the health of the domestic recovery.

Spain’s El Mundo newspaper reported that customers at troubled Spanish lender Bankia had withdrawn more than 1 billion euros over the past week, though the Spanish government denied the report.

Adding to concerns about the regions financial stability, Spain’s borrowing costs shot up at a bond auction. Bankia shares fell 14 percent in European trading after sliding as much as 30 percent earlier.

News that some Greek banks face emergency funding needs hurt sentiment and caused a further decline in risk assets which have already dropped over the past weeks. The CBOE volatility index rose 3 percent and hit its highest level since early January.

“There is not a lot of interest in the equity market,” said Jason Weisberg, managing director at Seaport Securities Corp in New York. “The overhang with Europe is so heavy, people are tired of playing whack-a-mole, and their portfolios are the mole.”

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 82.46 points, or 0.65 percent, to 12,516.09. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 10.78 points, or 0.81 percent, to 1,314.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 36.42 points, or 1.27 percent, to 2,837.62.

Caterpillar Inc dropped 3.9 percent to $88.22 as the worst performer on the Dow after the company’s dealers showed a slowing growth in their heavy equipment sales for April. The Dow is on pace for its eleventh drop in the past twelve sessions.

The Nasdaq fell alongside weakness in tech shares. Apple Inc lost 2.1 percent to $534.90 and Qualcomm Inc fell 2.6 percent to $57.55.

Dollar Tree fell 4.9 percent to $96.38 and was one of the biggest percentage decliners on the Nasdaq 100 after giving a second-quarter profit outlook that was below expectations.

The S&P has fallen 6.1 percent so far in May, and while volatility is expected to continue, the persistence of the losses have some analysts forecasting a near-term rebound.

Wal-Mart shares jumped 5 percent to $62.17 after the world’s largest retailer reported better-than-expected quarterly profit.

Sears Holdings Corp climbed 4.8 percent to $53.31 after the company said it plans to spin off a large part of its stake in its Canada unit to better focus on its U.S. business.

GameStop Corp tumbled 10 percent to $18.75, the biggest decliner on the S&P, after it forecast second-quarter earnings that were below expectations.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday as investors continued to worry about Greece’s political and financial crisis as the country prepares for its second election in just over a month.

Global shares and other risk assets fell, with the euro trading at a fresh four-month low. S&P 500 futures bounced back from three-month lows hit overnight.

Opinion polls show leftists opposed to the terms of the bailout that is keeping Greece afloat would likely win the new election. Greeks, afraid of the devaluation that would follow an exit from the euro, withdrew at least 700 million euros from their banks on Monday.

Adding to pressure over commodities and mining stocks, BHP Billiton, the world’s biggest miner, said it expects commodity markets to cool further and that investors have lost confidence in the longer-term health of the global economy.

S&P 500 futures edged down 0.1 point and were flat in terms of fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures dipped 1 point, and Nasdaq 100 futures shed 1.5 points.

Wednesday’s data diary features housing starts for April at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT), followed by industrial production figures at 9:15 a.m. (1315 GMT), with both expected to show an improvement from the previous month.

The minutes from the Federal Reserve’s April meeting, due at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT), will be scrutinized for any discussion on the health of the labor market as investors debate the likelihood of more stimulus measures.

Facebook Inc increased the size of its initial public offering by 25 percent and could raise as much as $16 billion as strong investor demand for the No. 1 social network trumps debate about the company’s long-term potential to make money.

U.S. stocks fell for the eighth day in the past 10 on Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 63.35 points, or 0.50 percent, to close at 12,632.00. The S&P 500 Index lost 7.69 points, or 0.57 percent, to 1,330.66. The Nasdaq Composite fell 8.82 points, or 0.30 percent, to close at 2,893.76.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Consumer shares led a modest rebound on Wall Street on Tuesday, after the S&P 500 fell for four of the past five sessions, but gains were capped as investors kept an eye on the political impasse in Greece.

Quarterly results helped boost the S&P consumer discretionary sector index, with TJX up 7.4 percent at $42.65 and Dick’s Sporting Goods up 9.2 percent at $51.59. The S&P retail sector index rose 1.5 percent.

U.S. retail sales rose 0.1 percent in April, slightly below expectations. However, details in the Commerce Department’s report indicating underlying strength in demand and a rebound in manufacturing activity in New York State calmed concerns that the economy was stalling.

“Earnings have been pretty good and supporting the market to a certain degree,” said John Manley, chief equity strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management in New York.

“People are still worried about things, but earnings surprises are more positive than not, and that is encouraging them to stay in stocks – if not move into stocks.”

Data showing an index of home builders’ sentiment at a five-year high in May helped lift the sector’s shares. The PHLX housing index rose 1.8 percent.

Amazon shares also lifted retailers and gave a boost to the Nasdaq after Credit Suisse upgraded the stock to “outperform” and raised its price target to $270 from $190. The stock jumped 2.6 percent to $228.72.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 32.88 points, or 0.26 percent, to 12,728.23. The S&P 500 Index added 3.63 points, or 0.27 percent, to 1,341.98. The Nasdaq Composite rose 21.83 points, or 0.75 percent, to 2,924.41.

Attempts to form a government in Greece collapsed, sending European equities lower on the prospect that those opposed to the terms of an EU/IMF bailout and a German-led push for austerity could sweep to victory in new elections.

“The Greeks and Germans seem to be playing an enormous game of chicken. It is unsettling to the market that those who would rather renegotiate the existing agreement seem to be gaining strength after the election,” said Wells Fargo’s Manley.

On Monday, the S&P 500 index closed at its lowest level since February. Concerns about Greece have been a primary reason for the S&P 500′s weakness.

Groupon Inc reported its first quarterly profit after the closing bell on Monday. Its stock climbed on Tuesday, rising 12 percent to $13.14.

JPMorgan Chase & Co rose 3.2 percent to $36.92, mostly unchanged this week after falling more than 11 percent last week after disclosing a trading loss of at least $2 billion. Pressure mounted on the bank to reclaim some of the millions of dollars it paid to the executives who oversaw the wrong-way trades.

Avon Products Inc tumbled 10.4 percent to $18.57 after Coty Inc withdrew its $10.7 billion takeover bid for the company, saying it had missed a deadline to start discussions.

Chesapeake Energy Corp shares dropped as much as 7.8 percent to $14.31, their lowest since March 2009, after a credit rating downgrade and news that the natural gas producer will increase its borrowing to $4 billion from the planned $3 billion as it faces a liquidity crunch. By early afternoon, the stock had retraced a little bit of that loss, although it was still down 6.7 percent at $14.48.

Facebook Inc increased the price range of its initial public offering, aiming to raise more than $12 billion and giving the world’s largest social network a valuation potentially exceeding $100 billion.

The indications of high demand for Facebook’s IPO bolstered the shares of other social media companies, with online game maker Zynga up 7.4 percent at $8.54 and professional network LinkedIn up 3 percent at $113.80.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks traded flat on Tuesday, erasing strong gains in the premarket session after news Greece will hold new elections put the debt-stricken country’s bailout package and debt repayments further at risk.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 2.42 points, or 0.02 percent, to 12,692.93. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 0.02 points, or 0.00 percent, to 1,338.33. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 5.89 points, or 0.20 percent, to 2,908.47.

(Reporting By Edward Krudy, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Monday but the S&P 500 came off lows after slipping below a key support level on fears of worsening political turmoil in the euro zone and signs of weakening Chinese growth.

Economically sensitive shares, including banks and natural resources companies, led the decline. Morgan Stanley fell 3.1 percent to $14.48, while Exxon Mobil Corp lost 1 percent to $82.26.

JPMorgan Chase & Co announced the first exit of a top executive after suffering trading losses that could reach $3 billion or more. The bank said Ina Drew, its investment chief, would retire. JPMorgan shares fell 1.8 percent to $36.31 after losing 9 percent on Friday.

The three major indexes briefly fell more than 1 percent on Monday, with the S&P dropping under an important support level at 1,340, though it later rebounded slightly above that level. If that level is broken on a sustained basis, it could result in a steeper pullback for the index.

“If we break 1,340, we might have risk all the way down to 1,300, but if we hold above it, that’s a cause for optimism,” said Bruce Zaro, chief technical strategist at Delta Global Asset Management in Boston.

“That said, there’s still great uncertainty with how Europe will react if Greece exits, as well as concerns about liquidity and the impact of recession there on the U.S. economy.”

Greece’s president met little enthusiasm from political leaders on Monday to avert new elections, reinforcing fears the country was on the path to bankruptcy and an exit from the euro zone. The consequences of such an event are unknown.

Concerns about a slowdown in China have been troubling investors for several months. The decision of the world’s second-largest economy on Saturday to cut the amount of cash banks must hold as reserves, normally seen as a pro-growth move, suggested the country may be facing more significant headwinds.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 74.77 points, or 0.58 percent, at 12,745.83. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 8.77 points, or 0.65 percent, at 1,344.62. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17.06 points, or 0.58 percent, at 2,916.76.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index fell to a four-month low, losing as much as 2.1 percent to an intraday low of 1,001.47 points – just off a 2012 low of 1,001.30 points reached on January 2.

The 1,340 level on the S&P 500 marks a convergence of several closely watched technical points. It is the low posted by the index in March, the 23.6 percent retracement of the rally from lows in October, and the neckline of a “head and shoulders” pattern, seen as a bearish formation by traders.

Safe-haven currencies including the dollar and the Japanese yen rose, with the euro hitting a four-month low to the dollar. Oil fell sharply, with Brent crude down 1.5 percent to $110.80 per barrel.

In merger news, Avon Products Inc on Sunday said it told Coty Inc that it would consider the smaller company’s $10.7 billion takeover bid and it expected to respond within a week. The shares were trading up 5 percent at $21.19.

Yahoo Inc is replacing its CEO for the third time in as many years, and giving three board seats to a hedge fund led by Daniel Loeb, putting him in a strong position to influence strategy at the struggling Internet company. The stock rose 2.9 percent to $15.63.

(Editing by Kenneth Barry)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks recovered some of their losses on Monday after the S&P 500 briefly fell below a key support level, weighed down by a political impasse in Greece and mounting fears of an economic slowdown in China.

Stocks in economically sensitive sectors such as banks and those linked to natural resources led the decline. Morgan Stanley fell 2.2 percent to $14.62, while Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold fell 1.6 percent to $34.21.

JPMorgan Chase & Co sacrificed investment chief Ina Drew on Monday in response to trading losses that could reach $3 billion or more and which have tainted the reputation of the bank’s high profile chief executive Jamie Dimon. JPM shares fell 2.7 percent to $35.95 after losing 9 percent on Friday.

The three major indexes briefly fell more than 1 percent on Monday, with the S&P dropping under an important support level at 1,340, though it later rebounded slightly above that level. If that level is broken on a sustained basis, it could result in a steeper pullback for the index.

Greece’s president met little enthusiasm from political leaders on Monday to avert new elections, reinforcing fears the country was on the path to bankruptcy and an exit from the euro zone. The consequences of such an event are unknown.

“People are thinking through the implications of Greece leaving, and it is very hard to see a benign outcome if depositors in Spain or Italy start putting their deposits in a different currency,” said Eric Fine, managing director of Van Eck G-175 Strategies in New York.

Concerns about a slowdown in China have been troubling investors for several months. The decision of the world’s second-largest economy on Saturday to cut the amount of cash banks must hold as reserves, normally seen as a pro-growth move, suggested the country may be facing more significant headwinds.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 90.17 points, or 0.70 percent, at 12,730.43. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 9.87 points, or 0.73 percent, at 1,343.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17.94 points, or 0.61 percent, at 2,915.88.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index fell to a four-month low, losing as much as 2.1 percent to an intraday low of 1,001.47 points – just off a 2012 low of 1,001.30 points reached on January 2.

The 1,340 level on the S&P 500 marks a convergence of several closely watched technical points. It is the low posted by the index in March, the 23.6 percent retracement of the rally from lows in October, and the neckline of a “head and shoulders” pattern, seen as a bearish formation by traders.

Violation of 1,340 could take the index back to 1,300 to 1,290 and “as low as 1,258 under strong selling,” according to technical strategists at UBS Wealth Management.

Safe-haven currencies including the dollar and the Japanese yen rose, with the euro hitting a four-month low to the dollar. Oil fell sharply, with Brent crude down 1.53 percent to $110.83 per barrel.

In merger news, Avon Products Inc on Sunday said it told Coty Inc that it would consider the smaller company’s $10.7 billion takeover bid and it expected to respond within a week. The shares were trading up 4.1 percent at $21.02.

Yahoo Inc is replacing its CEO for the third time in as many years, and giving three board seats to a hedge fund led by Daniel Loeb, putting him in a strong position to influence strategy at the struggling Internet company. The stock rose 1.8 percent to $15.47.

(Editing by Dave Zimmerman)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Monday, tracking global equity markets lower as a political impasse in Greece heightened concerns about Europe’s debt crisis and fears mounted about an economic slowdown in China.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 96.64 points, or 0.75 percent, at 12,723.96. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 11.50 points, or 0.85 percent, at 1,341.89. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 24.59 points, or 0.84 percent, at 2,909.23.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Dave Zimmerman)