Stocks finished down yesterday, with blue chips ending near four-month lows, amid investor jitters over a looming threat of a US-led attack on Iraq and heightened security concerns.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 7,758.17 (-84.94)
General Motors kept the Dow Jones industrial average under pressure after a negative brokerage call, but Coca-Cola helped underpin the blue-chip average after the world's top soft drink maker posted results that were largely in line with expectations.
War worries were the main focus of investors, but Wall Street also weighed comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Mr AlanGreenspan on the economy during a second round of his semi-annual testimony on Capitol Hill.
Corporate earnings news was mixed and provided the market with little guidance. "Iraq is clearly front and centre in terms of investor fears," said Mr Subodh Kumar, chief investment strategist at CIBC World Markets in Toronto.
The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average closed down 84.94 points, or 1.1 per cent, to 7,758.17 according to the latest marketfigures. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 10.53 points, or 1.3 per cent, at 818.67. The tech-laced Nasdaq Composite declined 16.52 points, or 1.28 per cent, to 1,278.94.
