New York – Stocks fell in a volatile session Tuesday, with a sharp decline in General Motors Corp. dragging down the Dow Jones industrial average, while broader indexes fell slightly in an end-of-year malaise.
General Motors fell to its lowest level since the crash of 1987 after a report by J.D. Power and Associates said it was losing market share to its Asian rivals.
Broader indexes moved lower, despite a bullish report on wholesale inflation, an uptick in home construction for November and a strong earnings report by Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty going into the end of the year,” said Ralph Acampora, managing director of technical research at Knight Capital Group Inc.
Traders are especially concerned about future Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes and oil prices. Those “cross currents” have led to choppy trading in December, a sharp change from the market’s November gains, Acampora said.
A strike by New York City transit workers had little effect on volume, which was slightly lower than Monday’s.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 30.98, or 0.29 percent, to 10,805.55. Broader stock indicators were slightly lower. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 0.30, or 0.02 percent, to 1,259.62, and the Nasdaq fell 0.32, or 0.01 percent, to 2,222.42.
The Bloomberg Colorado Index, a price- weighted list of companies based in the state, fell 0.22 to 323.49.
Bonds moved lower, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.47 percent from 4.44 percent late Monday. The dollar rose against most major currencies, while gold prices were mixed.
Crude-oil futures edged higher ahead of today’s weekly inventory data, with a barrel of light crude quoted at $57.98, up 64 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In economic news, a jump in home construction last month helped ease worries about the cooling housing market. Housing starts rose to an annualized rate of 2.123 million homes in November, up from October’s rate of 2.014 million, according to the Commerce Department. The number of permits issued also rose.
