Here’s Where The Money Is Going

The
markets are in solid negative territory mid-day,
with a gap down on
the indexes leading to further selling throughout the morning. Sentiment has
been hammered with negative earnings news from the insurers, with gold making a
new 7-year high as assets shift to the defense. After the bell today Cisco
systems will report its earnings, though the company’s presence as a market
bellwether has come under scrutiny.

The Dow Jones Industrial
Average

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is -1.64% at 7,967.54. The S&P 500
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is -1.85% at 844.37. The Nasdaq
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is -1.86% at 1,299.17.

In the positive column today
are gold and silver
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, +3.72%, oil service
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,
+1.63% at 84.71, natural gas
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, +1.06% at
165.05, and
oil
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, +0.08% at 430.51.

The biggest losers on the day
are insurance
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, -5.51%, networking
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,
-3.71%, networking
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, -3.61% and
healthcare

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, -3.31%.

In economic news, factory orders came in
at 0.4% vs. expectations of 0.3%.

The 10-year U.S. Note
is +090 at 114 080.

The Dollar is -0.87 at
99.25.

Gold is +6.50 at 377.30.

Crude Oil  +0.62 at
33.38.

Volume is at 699,169,000
on the NYSE, and at 732,115,000 on the Nasdaq.

Market breadth is negative,
with NYSE declining issues over advancing issues by a ratio of 1.84, and down
volume over up volume by a 4.55 ratio. Nasdaq declining issues over advancing
issues are at 2.37, and down volume is over up volume by a 4.79 ratio.

Leading the Dow down are:

Citigroup
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, -3.49% at 33.44, Walt Disney
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DIS |
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, -3.32% at 16.87, JP Morgan
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, -3.14% at 22.84,
Alcoa

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, -2.96% at 19.36, Microsoft
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, -2.92% at
47.14, and General Motors
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, -2.37% at 35.89.

Stocks In The News:

Insurance company American
International

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, -9.00% at 50.35, has taken a $1.8 billion charge,
and has had its estimates cut by Merrill Lynch.

Biotech firm Genzyme
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,
-7.80% at 30.61, has reduced its earnings guidance for the full year 2003.

Also in the insurance sector,
MBIA Inc.
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, -4.70% at 38.35, has missed its fourth-quarter
earnings expectations by $0.03 with profits of $1.09 per share. And Chubb
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, -5.79% at 5.41, also posted earnings below Wall Street’s expectations.

In the personal product biz,
Colgate-Palmolive

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, +0.67% at 51.09, beat its fourth-quarter earnings
expectations with profits of $0.59 per share, and Avon Products
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,
, also surpassed its expectations by $0.01 with profits of $0.80 per share.

Internet infrastructure giant
Cisco Systems
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, -3.57% at 12.99, will announce its earnings
after the bell today.

Electronics maker Emerson
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, +0.53% at 47.28, has missed its first-quarter earnings expectations
by $0.02 with profits of $0.52 per share.

Truck builder Paccar Inc.
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, +2.66% at 45.47, has beat its fourth-quarter earnings expectations
by $0.41 with profits of $1.05 per share.

Pharmacy retailer CVS Corp.
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, +5.57% at 24.64, has beat its fourth-quarter earnings expectations by
$0.02 with profits of $0.49.

Electric utilities company
Entergy

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, +0.11% at 45.90,  has beat its fourth-quarter earnings
expectations by $0.06 with profits of $0.34 per share.

danielb@tradingmarkets.com