US stocks fell sharply on Monday as credit concerns hounded financial stocks and global growth worries hurt big technology and industrial companies. The three major indexes fell nearly 2 percent, wiping out gains booked on Friday, though traders said thin, end-of-summer conditions may have exaggerated the moves.
American International Group Inc, the world's biggest insurer, was among the top drags on the Dow, with its shares falling to a 13-year low after Credit Suisse cut the company's price target and third-quarter earnings estimate, citing bigger derivatives losses. Shares of Lehman Brothers also contributed to the negative tone, falling more than 4 percent after a top South Korean regulator voiced concern about state-run Korea Development Bank's interest in buying a global bank.
KDB said on Friday it was considering Lehman among an array of acquisition options. "You've got more of the concerns we've seen about credit and the financials. Lehman's down because of the speculation that the bid is not happening, and there's a negative report on AIG," said Bobby Harrington, head of block trading at UBS in Stamford, Connecticut.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 216.00 points, or 1.86 percent, at 11,412.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 22.86 points, or 1.77 percent, at 1,269.34. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 46.36 points, or 1.92 percent, at 2,368.35.
Stocks were under pressure from the start, as investors entered trade unnerved by news that regulators late on Friday had closed Columbian Bank and Trust Company, the ninth US bank to fail amid a weakening economy and falling home prices. Adding to the gloom, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its global growth forecasts for 2008 and 2009 in a note prepared for a meeting of the Group of 20 nations, a G20 finance official told Reuters.
AIG's shares fell 4.5 percent to $18.98, after falling as low as $18.64. Late on Friday, Fitch Ratings said it may cut AIG's credit ratings. Lehman shares fell 4.4 percent to $13.78 after soaring on Friday on take-over speculation. An index of S&P financial companies lost about 2.2 percent. Industrial conglomerates were among the biggest decliners on the S&P 500. Caterpillar Inc, which has a large overseas exposure, fell almost 2.4 percent to $68.62.
Technology shares also fell amid concerns about the global economy. Apple Inc, whose shares fell 2.1 percent to $173.10, was the top pull on the Nasdaq. Home finance companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae both rose even as questions about their future and a possible government bailout continued to swirl. Freddie shares were up 11.7 percent to $3.14 after solid demand for its $2 billion bill sale while shares of Fannie Mae, the top US home finance provider, rose 4.2 percent to $5.21.