Stocks were knocked down right as the opening bell rung and have struggled to get off the mat for most of the trading session. It's the return of eurozone worries: Spanish bond yields are hitting new highs after part of the country asked for a bailout. Not surprisingly, Banco Santandar (NYSE: SAN ) has sold off nearly 8% on the day. Meanwhile, record-high prices for Treasuries have pushed even the 20-year bonds into negative real yield territory while the five-year bonds now are guaranteed to lose 1.2% for investors.
U.S. debt, on the other hand, continues to be perceived as a safe haven.
That said, let's see how the three major indexes are faring and check out several stocks making headlines.
|
Index
|
Gain/Loss
|
Gain/Loss %
|
Intraday Value
|
| Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI ) |
(118.48) |
(0.92%) |
12,824.88 |
| Nasdaq |
(32.25) |
(1.09%) |
2,933.65 |
| S&P 500 |
(12.62) |
(0.92%) |
1,363.89 |
Source: Yahoo! Finance as of 2:25 p.m.
The Nasdaq is declining worse than the Dow and S&P 500, giving back some of its recent gains. Oil is down $1.50 and the VIX (INDEX: ^VIX ) volatility index is up almost 8% after several days of declines. Other notable decliners today include Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG ) . Before today's shocking 20% decline, Chipotle seemed to go nowhere but up. Revenue increased 21% and income grew an impressive 61%. However, same-store sales growth of only 8% spooked investors paying more than 50 times earnings for the growth story.
Meanwhile, all but two of the Dow components, Wal-Mart and General Electric (NYSE: GE ) , are in negative territory for the day. Wal-Mart is up on no news, while GE reported second-quarter earnings this morning.
GE can thank that great quarter for its 2.5% gain. Investors are also excited about the conglomerate's energy initiative. By reorganizing the $50 billion unit into three separate segments, decision-making should be streamlined and more effective. GE went on an acquisition spree in the energy sector and clearly sees this segment as a key future growth driver. Meanwhile GE managed to top analyst estimates and forecast double-digit bottom-line growth for 2012.
GE's new manufacturing focus is paying dividends after the financial crisis took a toll on its Capital unit. However, that doesn't mean it's smooth sailing ahead. To help, we're offering comprehensive coverage for investors in a premium report on General Electric, in which our industrials analyst breaks down GE's multiple businesses. You'll find reasons to buy or sell GE, and you'll receive continuing updates as major events unfold during the year. To get started, click here now.
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