U.S. stocks fall amid caution before jobs data Reuters - December 07, 2006 4:25 PM ET
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By Chris Sanders
NEW YORK, Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as investors locked in profits ahead of jobs data on Friday that could show further weakening in the economy and possibly send equity markets lower.
The Nasdaq took the biggest hit among major indexes as shares of Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) fell 3.1 percent, or $2.79, to $87.04 after rising 80 percent since July and amid concerns that holiday sales for its iPod may not be as strong as initially expected.
The Dow Jones industrial average earlier rose to within 1 point of an all-time high during the session, but then fell back. Home Depot Inc. (HD), down 2.5 percent, was among the biggest drags on the Dow after the world's largest home improvement retailer said it found almost 20 years of option grant backdating.
"There has been a huge run up in the market and you have the employment number tomorrow and people have profits they are locking in, in the event that the jobs report shows further weakening in the economy," said Eric Kuby, chief investment officer with North Star Investment Management Co. in Chicago.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI dropped 30.84 points, or 0.25 percent, to 12,278.41. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX declined 5.61 points, or 0.40 percent, to 1,407.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC slid 18.17 points, or 0.74 percent, to 2,427.69.
On Friday, the Labor Department will report on November employment, which could give some clues about the economy's strength.
Technology stocks fell from the outset, pushing down the Nasdaq. Shares of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) fell after brokerage downgrades of the stock.
With Apple, some analysts pointed to outsized expectations for iPod sales during the holiday quarter. Caris & Co. analyst Shebly Seyrafi wrote in a note initiating coverage on Apple that "our checks do not support the 'upside potential' believed by the bulls that Apple (will) ship over 20 million iPods in the fourth quarter." The analyst expects shipments of 16.5 million iPods in the fourth quarter |