U.S. Stocks Fall as Jobless Claims Rise; Wal-Mart Declines
Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks fell after a government report showed the number of people continuing to collect state jobless benefits rose more than forecast.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, fell after the company said it earned 1 cent a share less than analysts expected in the third quarter and gave a fourth-quarter estimate that may also miss forecasts. Tiffany & Co., the largest U.S. luxury jewelry retailer, said third-quarter earnings dropped 20 percent from a year ago.
``You have more negative news out of Wal-Mart and Tiffany, and then the jobless claims seemed to surprise everyone,'' said Tom Schrader, head of listed trading at Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. in Baltimore. ``Wal-Mart is America's bread and butter, and it speaks volumes about the economy. Their numbers were a little light.''
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 3.56, or 0.3 percent, to 1054.97 as of 9:44 a.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 47.48, or 0.5 percent, to 9801.35 and the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 12.15, or 0.6 percent, to 1960.96.
Four stocks fell for every three that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. More than 79 million shares traded on the Big Board.
The number of people continuing to collect state jobless benefits rose to 3.527 million in the week that ended Nov. 1 from a revised 3.478 million a week earlier. The average forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for 3.478 million. In June, continuing claims peaked at 3.78 million.
The number of Americans filing first-time applications for state unemployment benefits rose last week, holding close to the lowest in almost three years. States received 366,000 applications for jobless benefits in the week that ended Saturday, up from 353,000 the prior week, the Labor Department reported in Washington. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, fell to 375,250, the lowest since March 2001.
Wal-Mart Slips
The S&P 500 yesterday climbed 1.2 percent to 1058.56, within half a point of a 17-month high. It has advanced by more than 20 percent this year.
Wal-Mart slipped $1.91 to $56.05. The company earned 46 cents a share in the third quarter and predicted that fourth- quarter profit would total 63 cents to 65 cents. On average, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected profit of 47 cents in the third quarter and 65 cents in the fourth.
Tiffany shares hadn't traded yet. Third-quarter earnings dropped 20 percent from a year ago, when it had a tax benefit. The company expects annual profit to rise more than its forecast amid surging sales in the U.S. and overseas.
Companies releasing quarterly earnings today include Starbucks Corp., the largest U.S. coffee-shop chain, Kohl's Corp., a low-price department-store chain, and Dell Inc., the world's No. 2 personal-computer maker. Starbucks shares rose 6 cents to $32.65, while Dell lost 13 cents to $35.54. Kohl's didn't trade.
Whole Foods Market Inc., the top U.S. natural-foods grocer, jumped $3.17 to $61.90. The company said fourth-quarter profits rose 8 percent after it added stores and lowered costs, and boosted this year's earnings forecast.
Buffett Sells
Level 3 Communications Inc. slipped 31 cents to $5.32. Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the holding company through which billionaire Warren Buffett invests, cut its Level 3 stake to 1.6 million shares from 19.9 million during the third quarter, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Medtronic Inc., the world's biggest producer of pacemakers, climbed $1.80 to $46.17. The company said fiscal second-quarter profit rose to 39 cents a share from 25 cents in the year-earlier quarter, meeting the estimates of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Its sales rose 14 percent to $2.16 billion, as it sold more heart and spine devices.
Computer-related shares rose in trading before exchanges opened after Applied Materials Inc. said orders for its computer- chip production machines are rising, stoking confidence that demand for technology gear has improved. The gains faded after the jobless claims report.
Applied Materials lost 25 cents to $25.19 and Dell Inc. dropped 27 cents to $35.40.
Sepracor Inc., the drugmaker that focuses on improving other companies' medicines with new versions, fell $1.38 to $25.39. The Marlborough, Massachusetts- based company said regulators extended their review of insomnia drug Estorra by three months until the end of February.
Companies in the S&P 500 will increase earnings by 18.5 percent, on average, in 2003, the fastest rate since 1995, according to Thomson Financial. Economic growth has picked up, with the economy expanding at a 7.2 percent annual rate last quarter, the fastest in almost two decades.
Last Updated: November 13, 2003 09:46 EST
Bloomberg.com