In early afternoon trade on Friday Wall Street saw steep declines a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 14,000 level for the first time in history.
The Dow was down 1.26 percent to 13,824.34, while the Naasdaq Composite fell 1.41 percent to 2,681.56 and the S&P
500 was 1.24 percent lower to 1,533.81.
Disappointing quarterly reports and more concerns about the housing market and subprime mortgages drove the declines.
In the internet sector, Google (NAS: GOOG) dropped 5.7 percent to $517.53 after it reported that earnings were lower in the quarter on higher operating expenses and the adding of employees.
Microsoft’s (NAS: MSFT)report headlined higher earnings but bad news on the sale of personal computers sent shares 1.7 percent lower to $$30.98.
Construction machinery maker Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) fell 8.4 percent to $79.70 after it reported that earnings dropped on declines in truck engine sales and a decline in construction in North America.
Construction woes hit homebuilders as well, sending the Dow Jones US Home Construction Index 3.3 percent lower to 516.91, its lowest level since October 2003, on predictions that the US housing market will be in the doldrums well into next year.
Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) dropped 2.8 percent to $21.78, while Centex (NYSE: CTX) was 3.9 percent lower to $41.73.
Comments from the President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve that the mess in the subprime mortgage sector was big enough to affect the housing markets and consumer spending sent shares in banks lower.
Citigroup (NYSE: C) had gone higher on a positive quarterly report, but dropped 1.3 percent to $50.45 on subprime concerns.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) was also lower, down 1.77 percent to $48.40 despite a 5 percent gain in earnings in the most recent quarter after it also increased provisions for losses from bad loans.