Facebook falls flat in public debut

By BARBARA ORTUTAY
AP Technology Writer

(AP:NEW YORK) After all the hype, Facebook's first day as a public company ended where it began. Its stock closed at $38.23, up 23 cents, after pricing Thursday night at $38 per share.

After an anxiety-filled half-hour delay, its stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time as investors were finally able to put a dollar value on the company that turned online social networking into a global cultural phenomenon.

The stock opened at 11:32 a.m. at $42.05, but soon dipped to $38.01. By noon, it was up again at $40.40, a 6 percent increase. Continue reading "Facebook falls flat in public debut"

Facebook stock jumps in public debut

By BARBARA ORTUTAY
AP Technology Writer

(AP:NEW YORK) Facebook is updating its status to "public company" as its stock jumps in its debut on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The stock rose to $42.05 on Friday morning. CEO Mark Zuckerberg smiled as rang the opening bell from Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Surrounded by cheering Facebook employees and wearing his signature hoodie, the 28-year-old pushed the button that signals the opening of the stock market in New York. Continue reading "Facebook stock jumps in public debut"

World stock markets sink on US, Europe worries

By Pamela Sampson

BANGKOK — World stocks fell Friday after credit downgrades slapped on Spanish banks unnerved investors already worried about the stability of the 17-country euro currency union.

The fall in European shares followed a sharp downturn in Asia where markets were also rattled by weak U.S. manufacturing figures.

The nervousness about Spain's banks comes as the European financial crisis intensifies. Continue reading "World stock markets sink on US, Europe worries"

Disappointing Data Leads To Sell-Off

(RTTNews) - Stocks saw substantial weakness during trading on Thursday, as traders reacted negatively to a disappointing batch of U.S. economic data. Lingering concerns about the financial situation in Europe also continued to weigh on the markets.

The major averages saw further downside going into the close, ending the session at or near their lows for the session. The Dow fell 156.06 points or 1.2 percent to 12,442.49, the Nasdaq plummeted 60.35 points or 2.1 percent to 2,813.69 and the S&P 500 dropped 19.94 points or 1.5 percent to 1,304.86. Continue reading "Disappointing Data Leads To Sell-Off"

Futures Pointing To Roughly Flat Open On Wall Street

(RTTNews) - After trending lower in recent sessions, stocks are likely to show a lack of direction in early trading on Thursday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat open for the markets.

Lingering uncertainty about the financial situation in Europe is likely to contribute to the choppy trading, with traders keeping an eye on the latest developments in Greece. Continue reading "Futures Pointing To Roughly Flat Open On Wall Street"