NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market went back into a lull Friday as investors waited for the next signals on the economy — and whether it's headed for another recession.
The major indexes were fluctuating in a narrow range after Thursday’s 419-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average. But that doesn’t mean investors are finished selling. There was little economic news Friday to influence trading. Thursday’s plunge followed a stream of disappointing economic news that added to the belief in the market that the economy is falling into a recession.
The most notable news Friday came from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The bank joined other financial firms and cut its forecast for economic growth during the fourth quarter. It’s now predicting growth of 1 percent, down from an earlier forecast of 2.5 percent.
The Dow fell 42 points or 0.4 percent, to 10,947 at 12:20 p.m. (1620 GMT) in New York. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 1, or 0.1 percent, to 1,139. The Nasdaq composite index rose 5, or 0.2 percent, to 2,386.
The Dow’s drop was largely due to Hewlett-Packard Co., which fell 21 percent. The company said Thursday that it will close its mobile business, sell or spin off its PC business and pay $10 billion for a business software company.
Investors weren’t, for the moment, seeking the safety of U.S. Treasurys. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.08 percent from late Thursday’s 2.06 percent. It fell below 2 percent Thursday for the first time as heavy demand sent its price sharply higher.
Overseas stock markets had larger drops than in the U.S. European banking stocks fell near two-and-a-half-year lows, dragged down by rumors about banks’ potential losses on bonds issued by heavily indebted governments. The selling in the U.S. has come in part because of fears that U.S. banks would be hurt if European countries default on their debt. Another concern: weakening European economies will hurt growth in the U.S.
Earlier Friday, Asian shares fell sharply, with major indexes in China and Japan losing more than 2.5 percent. However, some of those losses reflected selling in response to the drop in the U.S. Thursday.
As the selling continued overseas, gold rose as high as $1,881 an ounce. Oil prices fell as traders feared a global slowdown that would cut demand for crude.
The word "recession" remains the focus of the markets.
JPMorgan analyst Michael Feroli said Friday that business sentiment, household wealth and global growth all look worse than just a few weeks earlier. That will keep economic growth nearly flat in the first quarter of 2012, he said.
On Thursday, economists with Morgan Stanley said that the U.S. and Europe are "dangerously close to recession," adding, "it won’t take much in the form of additional shocks to tip the balance."
The Dow is down 13.6 percent since stocks began falling on July 21. That has drained billions from American’s retirement savings and other investment accounts. And the stock market’s drop can itself help move the country toward recession.
