Banking lay-offs spark Wall Street decline

Wall Street finished sharply lower today as investors pored over more signs of economic weakness, including a huge round of lay-offs in the financial sector.

After a turbulent week that sent the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 340 points, investors found little solace in the latest news. Stocks zigzagged throughout the session, finally giving way to a stream of late-day selling that left the Dow Jones industrials lower by 223 points.