US STOCKS-Wall St rattled by recovery uncertainty

12/8/09

By Angela Moon

* 3M's outlook, McDonald's weak sales worry investors

* Kroger profit falls short, shares down 12 pct

* Dow off 1 pct, S&P 500 off 1 pct, Nasdaq off 0.8 pct

* For up-to-the-minute market news, click [STXNEWS/US] (Updates to close)

NEW YORK, Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday after disappointing corporate news from 3M Co and McDonald's, while negative developments in global credit markets caused a shift to safe-haven assets.

Equities faced pressure from a stronger U.S. dollar after Dubai's unresolved debt problems and Fitch Ratings' downgrade of Greece's bond rating dented risk appetite.

U.S. corporate news raised some doubts about consumer spending, a key requirement for the recovery to take hold.

Diversified manufacturer 3M <MMM.N> fell 1 percent to $77.11 after a weaker-than-expected outlook, while McDonald's <MCD.N> closed down 2.1 percent at $60.61 after reporting disappointing sales for a second straight month.

"We are seeing signs that indicate the global economy is not recovering as fast as expected, and at times of uncertainty, people run to the safe dollar," said Keith Springer, president of Capital Financial Advisory Services in Sacramento, California.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 104.14 points, or 1.00 percent, at 10,285.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> closed down 11.31 points, or 1.03 percent, at 1,091.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> shed 16.62 points, or 0.76 percent, at 2,172.99.

In another sign of weak consumer spending, Kroger Co <KR.N> shares dipped 11.9 percent to $20.13 after the supermarket operator reported quarterly results far below expectations and cut its full-year forecast. [ID:nN08125054].

The S&P Consumer Staples index <.GSPS> slipped 1.2 percent.

The greenback <.DXY> gained 0.5 percent against a basket of six other major currencies, pressuring risk-associated assets such as U.S. crude oil <CLc1>, which dipped 1.4 percent to $72.96 a barrel.

Energy shares were among the top drags. Exxon Mobil <XOM.N> was down 1.1 percent at $72.95 and Chevron <CVX.N> fell 1.8 percent to $76.76. The S&P energy index <.GSPE> shed 1.7 percent.

Another source of nervousness about the global recovery was an unexpected decline in German industrial output. [ID:nGEE5B70O7].

The disappointing earnings news overshadowed optimism late Monday from FedEx Corp <FDX.N>, which gained 2.7 percent to $89.88 after forecasting second-quarter earnings would easily beat analysts' estimates.

Volume was light on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1.18 billion shares changing hands, below last year's estimated daily average of 1.49 billion, while on the Nasdaq, about 1.97 billion shares traded, also below last year's daily average of 2.28 billion.

Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a ratio of 20 to 9, while on the Nasdaq, 18 stocks fell for every eight that rose.


Keith Springer is President of Capital Financial Advisory Services, a registered investment advisor, providing Wealth Management and Mortgage Consulting Services.  For more information on how to build and maintain a solid retirement plan, please contact Keith Springer at 916-925-8900 or Keith@KeithSpringer.com