Reply #52: Blue chips fall to 5-month low

[UpInArms]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B9079373E%2D04E5%2D4FC9%2DAF86%2DD253170AE396%7D&siteid=mktw

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled to a five-month low Thursday amid concern over a slowdown in the economy, with a mixed batch of earnings reports further weighing on sentiment.

The Dow industrials ($INDU: news, chart, profile) was last down 57 points at 10,345, its lowest level intraday since Nov. 5.

The Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) fell 14 points to 1,960.

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX: news, chart, profile) was off nearly 6 points at 1,167.95.

"It's follow-through from yesterday," said Jim Paulsen, chief investment officer at Wells Capital Management. "Yesterday's retail sales numbers has garnished massive media coverage on an (economic) slowdown."

And fear of an economic slowdown is affecting the way investors look at the latest earnings reports, said Paulsen.

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