US stocks fall amid downturn fears

US stocks have ended a quiet session with a loss after corporate news disappointed investors and the Federal Reserve voiced concerns about the slumping economy.

The minutes from the Fed’s March meeting showed officials uneasy about a potentially “prolonged and severe” downturn and conflict over further rate cuts.

The market had already spent the day in negative territory in response to Alcoa’s weak results and Advanced Micro Devices’ sales warning. News from Washington Mutual that it will post a quarterly loss because of credit market troubles contributed to Wall Street’s decline today.

The Dow Jones industrial average is down nearly 36 points at the 12,576 level.