TODAY'S MARKETSUpdated June 21, 2012, 1:47 p.m. ET
Stocks Fall on Lackluster Economic Data; Goldman Call Accelerates Decline
By CHRIS DIETERICH
NEW YORK—Gloomy economic readings from three continents sent stocks skidding and spurred a bearish recommendation from Goldman Sachs, compounding losses in major benchmarks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 166 points, or 1.3%, to 12658 in afternoon trading on Thursday. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 21 points, or 1.5%, to 1334. The Nasdaq Composite ticked down 52 points, or 1.8%, to 2878, on course to snap a five-session streak of gains.
The Dow inched higher at the open, but retreated into the red after Mid-Atlantic manufacturers said that business conditions deteriorated sharply this month, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Stocks slid to session lows after analysts at Goldman Sachs recommended that clients set up short positions in the S&P 500. The analysts set a short target for the benchmark index at 1285, about 4% lower than current levels, writing that Thursday's soft U.S. reports "provides further evidence that weakness has extended into June."
Short sellers borrow shares from other investors and sell them in the hope of buying them back at a lower price later.
Energy and materials stocks were the S&P 500's worst performing sectors after reports showed that business activity in the euro zone and manufacturing activity in China each contracted in June.
Slowing industrial activity crimped demand for commodities, and aluminum company Alcoa AA -3.59%fell as the Dow's biggest decliner. Blue chips Exxon Mobil XOM -3.12%and Chevron CVX -2.89%also fell as oil prices dropped below $80 for the first time this year.
"There's a fair amount of hope that the economy can accelerate and I think that's fundamentally misplaced," said Joe Costigan, director of equity research at Bryn Mawr Trust, which manages more than $6 billion in assets.
"What we're experiencing is slow growth, and in periods of uncertainty, people pull back. That's what we're seeing today," Mr. Costigan said.
The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell slightly last week, though the prior week's figure was revised higher, indicating the labor market is struggling to avoid stalling.
In other economic news, sales of previously owned homes in the U.S. fell in May, while separate data showed home prices rose slightly more than expected in April.
European markets turned lower after the weak U.S. data. The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.5% and broke four-day winning streak. A Spanish bond auction received strong demand, although at sharply higher yields than previous auctions.
Crude oil futures fell 2.7% to $79.2 4 a barrel, and gold futures shed 3.1% to $1,565 a troy ounce. The U.S. dollar rose against the euro and the yen. The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds fell to 1.608% as demand rose.
Most Asian stock markets fell on worries about the Chinese economy after the gauge of China's manufacturing activity showed more weakness.
In corporate news, shares of Bed Bath & Beyond BBBY -17.01%slumped after the company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates, though its second-quarter outlook was below projections.
Red Hat RHT -5.82%fell after the software provider reported a slowdown in revenue that's been booked but not yet collected, even though its quarterly revenue and earnings were better than Wall Street expected.
Rite RAD +8.55%Aid jumped after the drugstore chain reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results, although it lowered full-year revenue and its same-store sales outlook because of an increase in sales of generic drugs.
Celgene CELG -11.33%slid after the company withdrew an application to European Union health regulators for the approval of Revlimid, its drug to treat multiple myeloma.
Meanwhile, Onyx Pharmaceuticals ONXX +42.69%soared after the company said its multiple myeloma treatment, Kyprolis, received a positive vote from a Food and Drug Administration committee.
Micron Technology MU -7.03%slipped after the semiconductor maker reported a wider-than-expected fiscal third-quarter loss, citing weaker flash memory pricing and declining margins.
Sun Healthcare SUNH +36.07%shot up after the company agreed to be acquired by Genesis Healthcare in a deal valued at approximately $275 million net of cash and debt.
Write to Chris Dieterich at
chris.dieterich@dowjones.com