Stocks mostly fall as traders search for direction

By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS and TIM PARADIS
AP Business Writers

NEW YORK

Monday, July 6, 2009 11:35:01 AM PT

Investors pulled away from stocks again as conflicting signs emerged about the direction the economy is taking.

Stocks mostly fell Monday, led by energy and materials companies, as prices for oil and other commodities skidded. Shares found some support, however, from a report showing that activity in the services industry rose in June to its best level in nine month.

Investors are becoming more cautious in recent weeks following a strong rally that began in March, fearing that they might have been too optimistic about how soon the economy might recover from a recession that began in December 2007.

Oil fell about 2.5 percent on the growing belief that the economy won't be strong enough to lift demand for energy as much as had been expected. Last week, oil hit an eight-month high above $73.

In other economic news, the Institute for Supply Management's services index rose to 47 in June from 44 in May, beating the expectation of 45.5 from economists polled by Thomson Reuters.

The relatively good showing, however, wasn't enough to assuage growing doubts about the economy that worsened last week on disappointing reports on consumer confidence and deep job cuts for June.

"There is a sense that the fundamentals in the marketplace haven't caught up with the technical rally that we got in March," said Dan Deming, a trader with Strutland Equities in Chicago.

In afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 4.61, or 0.1 percent, to 8,285.35. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.70, or 0.3 percent, to 893.72. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 20.33, or 1.1 percent, to 1,776.19.

Oil fell $2.82 to $63.91 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The market has relatively few guideposts to give it direction this week ahead of second-quarter earnings reports, which get under way on Wednesday with Dow component Alcoa Inc. but don't pick up speed until next week.

The drop in oil and other commodities hit energy and materials stocks. Exxon Mobil Corp. fell 80 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $67.71, and Occidental Petroleum Corp. fell $2.06, or 3.3 percent, to $61.22.

Alcoa fell 72 cents, or 7.3 percent, to $9.14, while Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. fell $3.92, or 7.9 percent, to $45.80.

Technology shares slid as investors moved into areas that could provide safety in a struggling economy. Oracle Corp. fell 45 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $20.59, while Apple Inc. fell $2.98, or 2.1 percent, to $137.04.

The market reached a plateau in mid-June, mainly holding on to the gains it notched this spring, but desperately needs more confirmation of an economic recovery before moving higher again. The upcoming earnings season and any forecasts companies make about the rest of the year are sure to answer questions about where the market goes next.

U.S. markets are catching up after being closed Friday for the July Fourth holiday. On Thursday, stocks fell sharply in response to the Labor Department employment numbers, pushing major indexes down more than 2 percent.

Two stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 630.9 million shares, compared with 444.8 million traded at the same point Thursday.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 6.46, or 1.3 percent, to 490.75.

Bond prices fell, pushing yields slightly higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.51 percent from 3.50 percent late Thursday. The yield on the three-month T-bill rose to 0.16 percent from 0.15 percent late Thursday.

The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices also rose.

Overseas, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.2 percent, and France's CAC-40 slid 1.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 1.4 percent.