A surprisingly weak reading on the manufacturing sector sent US stocks mostly lower today as investors feared that the economy has indeed run into a soft patch.

Stocks managed to squeeze out modest gains in a volatile session Monday as crude oil futures, which briefly topped $US58 per barrel in early trading, settled lower.

Conflicting signals on inflation kept stocks mixed in the United States today as investors abandoned riskier stocks and moved to safer blue-chip companies.

Investors’ concerns over the US economy and potential inflation outweighed a sharp drop in oil prices, sending stocks slightly lower today.

US stocks rose modestly in uninspired trading today as investors looked past a mix of economic data and falling profit forecasts from Google Inc. and Applied Materials Inc.

Interest rate fears drove a major sell-off on Wall Street today, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing below 10,000 for the first time since December 10 and sending all three major indexes to their lows for the year.

Wall Street was unable to shake its malaise over interest rates today, closing mixed despite a rally in technology stocks and a series of upbeat earnings reports from companies, including 3M and Eli Lilly. The Nasdaq composite index broke a four-day losing streak.

Wall Street took an expected break from a week of frenetic buying today, leaving the major indexes mixed as investors bought blue chips but sold technology shares on an earnings warning from Nokia.

Wall Street looked past an underwhelming statement by the Federal Reserve today and rebounded smartly as bargain hunters picked up stocks battered by a week of heavy losses.

Stocks slid today after finance ministers from leading industrial nations called for more flexible currency rates, sparking a tumble in the dollar and investor fears of dampened foreign investment.

Wall Street regained its upward momentum today after encouraging outlooks from companies such as Intel and Nvidia motivated investors to buy after two days of declines. The Dow Jones industrials climbed 113 points.