Stocks: Market slips; Apple sets a record
BY BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer
Monday, August 20, 2012
NEW YORK — Stocks are ending the day just lower.
The Dow Jones industrial average finished down three and a half points at 13,271. The Standard & Poor's 500 was off a fraction of a point at 1,418. And the Nasdaq composite index was also down a fraction at 3,076.
In a monthly report, the German central bank reiterated doubts about having the European Central Bank buy bonds to help struggling European economies.
On Monday, Apple became the most valuable company ever, with a market value of $623 billion, surpassing Microsoft's record from 1999. Apple rose Monday by $17, or 2.6 percent, to $665.15.
Declining stocks edged advancers by about 5-to-4. It was one of the quietest days of the year, with just 2.7 billion shares traded.
