NEW YORK -- Stocks fell again today in jittery trading dominated by concerns about tomorrow's Federal Reserve meeting and the government's legal assault on Microsoft. Stocks slide
The Dow Jones industrial average briefly slipped just below 9,000 with a 96-point loss before closing at 9,050.91, a loss of 45.09 points on the day. It was the third straight losing session for the Dow, now about 160 points below Wednesday's record of 9,211.84.
NYSE volume was 518.26 million shares, vs. 611.62 million Friday.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index slid 2.91 to 1,105.82, and the NYSE's composite index fell 2.32 to 572.08. The Nasdaq composite index fell 15.17 to close at 1,831.60, and the American Stock Exchange index fell 4.73 to 732.36.
The price of the Treasury's main 30-year bond was up 25/32 point by late afternoon, while its yield slipped to 5.92 percent from 5.97 percent late Friday.
Broad-market indexes also retreated for the third straight session in advance of tomorrow's Federal Reserve meeting. While Fed officials have signaled their readiness to raise interest rates and slow the economy if inflationary pressures intensify, no action is expected for now.
Meanwhile, technology shares sagged as the Justice Department and 20 states filed an expected antitrust suit against Microsoft, charging that the company illegally thwarted competition to extend its monopoly.
Microsoft fell sharply as the second most active Nasdaq issue after Dell Computer, which rallied in advance of its latest profit report, due after tomorrow's close. Hewlett-Packard fell again as the Dow's biggest decliner.