The New York equities markets were lower in early afternoon trade on Monday after new data showed existing home sales dropped and inventories were higher in July.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.22 percent lower to 13,349.93, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.49 percent to 2,564.19 and the S&P 500 fell 0.63 percent to 1,469.99.

The National Association of Realtors said that existing home sales were 0.2 percent lower in July, while inventories were up by 5.1 percent to 4.59 million homes, a new record.

In addition, home prices were down in July for the 12th consecutive time, by 0.6 percent from a year ago to a median price of $230,200.

Sales were up in the West and Northeast but were static in the South and down by 2.2 percent in the Midwest.

Meanwhile home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) added 61 cents to $35.29 after it reached a deal to sell its wholesale unit to a consortium of three private equity firms at a price that was lower than originally planned and requires Home Depot to guarantee $1 billion of the debt the buyers will assume to close the deal.

In other deal news, Taiwan computer manufacturer Acer (TSEC: 2353; LSE: ACID) will pay $170 million for Gateway Inc (NYSE: GTW).

Gateway added 60 cents, or 49 percent, to $1.80.

Elsewhere in the computer sector IBM (NYSE: IBM) added 52 cents to $113.76, but Dell (NAS: DELL; SEHK: 4331) fell 4 cents to $27.70, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) dropped 7 cents to $48.03 and Apple (NAS: AAPL; LSE: ACP; FWB: APC) was down $1.66 to $133.64.

Wall Street was lower in afternoon trade Friday after the US Federal Reserve made two injections of cash into the market during the day, one of $19 billion, followed by $16 billion more.

These came on the heels of two separate cash additions into the market on Thursday, totaling $24 billion.

There is some sentiment that the Fed might issue an emergency interest rate cut in response to the current difficulties in the US markets, although some analysts believe the Fed will hold on until September’s scheduled meeting to issue a rate cut.

Others call a cut now “counterproductive”, saying it could weaken the dollar and cause more harm than good.

In early afternoon trade in New York the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.04 percent to 13,132.4, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 1 percent to 2,530.95 and the S&P 500 was 0.81 percent lower to 1,441.28.

Most of the financial services sector was lower, but Bank of America (NYSE: BAC; TYO: 8648) had added 14 cents to $48.49.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) had dropped 13 cents to $46.77, while JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) fell 33 cents to $43.85.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) was $1.36 lower to $60.45 and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) had fallen $3.41 to $178.84.

Mortgage lender Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC) dropped $1.65 to $27.01 after saying in a regulatory filing on Thursday that the current trouble in the credit and subprime mortgage markets could hurt its short-term prospects.

Elsewhere, the aerospace sector was also lower.

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) was down $1.18 to $55.60, while Boeing (NYSE: BA; TYO: 7661) fell $1.43 to $96.87.

Among the few gainers in early afternoon trade were chipmaker Intel (NAS: INTC; SEHK: 4335), which had added 25 cents to $24.17.

In the computers sector, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) was up 92 cents to $47.94 and IBM (NYSE: IBM) had gained $1.78 to $112.51.

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) was up 65 cents to $84.25.

Wall Street was higher in early afternoon trade on Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.51 percent higher to 13,988.95, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.81 percent to 2,721.3 and the S&P 500 was up 0.43 percent to 1,552.85.

Earnings news was in focus as IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Juniper Networks (NAS: JNPR) both reported.

IBM said that second quarter profits were up with help from its software division and services business.

It also raised its profit forecast for this year, sending shares up $4.74 to $115.82.

Network equipment manufacturer Juniper, meanwhile, also said profits rose in the second quarter and upped its earnings outlook for the full year, adding $3.24 to $29.97.

Elsewhere in the computer sector, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) added $1.57 to $48.71.

Google (NAS: GOOG; LSE: GGEA), Microsoft (NAS: MSFT), and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) were all scheduled to report after the close of trade on Thursday.

Google was $2.30 lower to $547.20, but Advanced Micro Devices was up 27 cents to $15.73 and Microsoft had added 57 cents to $31.49.

The internet sector was lower.

Ebay (NAS: EBAY) was down 53 cents to $33.52 after it did not change its full-year outlook. Meanwhile, Yahoo (NAS: YHOO) dropped 14 cents to $26.06.

The New York equities markets were lower at midday on Thurdsay. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5 percent to 12,678.89, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1 percent to 2,515.35 and the S&P 500 was 0.3 percent lower to 1,454.03.

Retailers declined on bad news. Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) dropped 2.1 percent to $80.29 after it said that the rising cost of paying its employees would likely diminish results for the first half of the year. Meanwhile, JC Penney (NYSE: JCP) fell 3.6 percent to $83.21 on a less than positive guidance.

Homebuilders were lower as well, after Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) said that profits were down sharply and that while it has seen an upturn in demand in some regions, it doesn’t expect the housing market to strengthen significantly through spring. The builder’s 67 percent decline in profits wasn’t as steep as some had expected, but the company’s stock still dropped 1.5 percent to $32.38. Elsewhere in the sector, DR Horton (NYSE: DRH) fell 2.1 percent to $27.50.

In the computer sector, Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ) dropped 1.7 percent to $40.42.

In the supermarkets sector, Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) added 11.8 percent to $51.10 after it said last night that it will acquire Wild Oats Markets (NASDAQ: OATS) for $565 million. Wild Oats added 17.3 percent to $18.44 on the news.

The New York equities markets were higher in the afternoon on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.4 percent to 12,299.57 after going as high as 12,325.91 earlier in the session, a new all-time high. The Nasdaq Composite had added 0.2 percent to 2,447.67, while the S&P 500 was 0.3 percent higher to 1,400.89.

Dell Computer dropped 3.5 percent to $24.86 after it delayed its preliminary third-quarter report due to a Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into the company’s accounting practices. On the other hand, Hewlett Packard added 0.7 percent to $40.07 ahead of its quarterly report, due to be released after the close of trade.

Elsewhere among technology-related sectors, Applied Materials was 4.2 percent lower to $17.87 on a warning that sales will decline on the order of 5 to 10 percent. Internet search engine Google, however, added 0.8 percent to $495.80.

There was bids news in the media sector. Clear Channel Communications, the radio station operator, added 3.9 percent to $35.46 and went as high as $35.88 after it agreed to be acquired by a group of private equity firms for $19 billion. Meanwhile, Readers Digest added 7.8 percent to $16.69 after it agreed to be purchased by a group of investors.

In the retail sector, Sears dropped 5.4 percent to $169.51 after earnings were lower than had been anticipated.

The New York equities markets at midday on Friday seemed ready to close out the week with losses after data showing that the economy’s growth is slowing made more of an impact on investor sentiment than did the Federal Reserve’s decision Thursday to leave interest rates alone for another month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.2 percent lower on the session at midday and 0.5 percent lower for the week to 11,506.26. The Nasdaq Composite had lost 0.8 percent on the day and 0.7 percent on the week to 2,219.11. The S&P 500 had dropped 0.3 percent for the day and 0.5 percent for the week to 1,313.80.

Software makers were mixed, with Oracle up 8 percent to $17.63 after Wednesday’s fiscal first quarter profits were reported to be up by 29 percent. Microsoft, on the other hand, dropped 0.6 percent to $26.69. That still left Microsoft 25 percent higher since June, however.

Yahoo was down 13.7 percent over the week, to $25.30, after it said that a slowdown in advertising revenue will mean that its third-quarter figures will only reach the low end of previous forecasts.

Computer maker Hewlett-Packard dropped 4.5 percent during the week on investor worries about the outcome of an investigation into leaks to the media that could leave the company open to legal action.

The slowing housing market affected more than one sector. Home Depot fell 3.9 percent to $35.78, for a total loss of 9.4 percent so far this year, on a downgrade from “outperform” to “neutral” from Credit Suisse. Meanwhile, plumbing and home accessories manufacturer Masco dropped 6 percent to $26.53 after it blamed a lowered earnings guidance for the year on the decline in new housing starts.

Wall Street was higher by the middle of Wednesday’s session despite bad news from selected sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.2 percent higher to 11,521.22, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.5 percent to 2,226.05 and the S&P 500 gained 0.3 percent to 1,316.45.

Some of the bad news came from Hewlett Packard, which dropped 1.9 percent to $36.22 after the California Attorney General said that there was evidence that could lead to charges against company officials in connection with leaks by board members to the media.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Merck fell 2.4 percent to $41.15 after its Vioxx drug was linked to kidney and heart problems in two reports which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

News was better elsewhere. Gap, the clothing retailer, added 2.3 percent to $17.48 on an upgrade from “equal weight” to “overweight” from Lehman Brothers. AMR, the parent company of American Airways, gained 2.6 percent to $22.78 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from Merrill Lynch.

The transport sector saw advances based on the news that spot-freight rates for grain are as high as they have been all year. CSX was 3.6 percent higher to #31.94, while Expeditors International gained 6.7 percent to $46.07.

The New York equities markets were lower at midday on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average unmoved for the day so far at 11,332.32, the Nasdaq Composite 0.4 percent lower to 2,149.10, and the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent to 1,296.38. The declines, however, could not erase the weeks gains and at mid-session the Dow stood up 2.2 percent on the week, while the Nasdaq was 4.4 percent higher and the S&P stood 2.3 percent above where it began the week.

The oil sector did not help the weeks gains, although dropping oil prices had a positive effect on investor sentiment. Among oil companies, Valero Energy was 5.5 percent lower on the week to $61.27 and Hess dropped 6.7 percent to $48.44.

Computer makers saw advances, although Dell was only 0.2 percent higher for the week at $21.12 at the middle of Friday’s session, having lost the 8 percent it had gained during the week after the company reported that its second-quarter earnings had fallen by 51 percent. In addition, it was revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission has been investigating Dell for the past year in connection with its accounting practices. Elsewhere in the sector, Hewlett-Packard added 7.4 percent over the week, to $35.50, on the strength of a better than expected earnings report and the announcement of a share buyback.

Semiconductors also had a good week. Intel was 5.6 percent higher to $18.38, while Broadcom added 17 percent to $29.29. Advanced Micro Devices rode a Citibank upgrade from “hold” to “buy” to an 18.5 percent advance to $23.43. PMC-Sierra gained 24.3 percent over the week to $6.29.

Wall Street was working on a fourth day of gains in a row at midday on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.3 percent higher to 11,359.86, the Nasdaq Composite added 0.7 percent to 2,163.75, and the S&P 500 gained 0.2 percent to 1,298.22.

The semiconductor sector was up as Advanced Micro Devices was 7.7 percent higher to $24.31 on an upgrade from Citigroup, which upped the chipmaker’s recommendation from “hold” to “buy” after reports that Dell is poised to use more AMD chips in its computers. PMC-Sierra gained 8.4 percent to $6.62 said it had not uncovered any deliberate misconduct by its employees in relation to the granting of stock options.

Computer maker Hewlett-Packard added 4.3 percent to $35.92 when it announced that it would conduct a $6 billion share buy-back. HP’s earnings in its third quarter were above analyst estimates.

Ebay, which has been seeing losses this year, was 5.8 percent higher at mid-session, to $27.32.

The oil sector declined as crude oil prices dropped again, as ConocoPhillips dropped 0.8 percent to $66.20 and Valero Energy declined by 2.7 percent to $61.30.

Retailer Sears Holdings was 4.2 percent lower to $143.77 even though it said its quarterly earnings had gone up by 83 percent. Investors were concerned about slowing sales.

Rising oil prices and worries about increasing tensions in the Middle East sent the New York equities markets lower Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had declined by 1 percent by midday to 10,742.96, bringing its fall for the week to 3.1 percent. The Nasdaq Composite was 0.9 percent lower at mid-session to 2,035.11, a 4.5 percent decline for the day. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 had fallen 0.8 percent by midday to 1,232.14, a 2.6 percent fall on the week.

The computer sector was down during the week after Microsoft was fined $280 million in Europe after a court determined that they had not complied with an earlier anti-trust ruling. Microsoft dropped 3.6 percent to $22.46. Hewlett Packard declined even more, by 5.4 percent to $31.07.

The rise in crude oil prices sent oil stocks higher. ExxonMobil added 2.4 percent to $45.29, while Schlumberger gained 4.7 percent to $65.72, helped by an increased target share price from Morgan Stanley.

Homebuilders saw declines after DR Horton reported that sales were down in the third quarter, making it necessary for it to cut its guidance for full-year earnings. Horton lost 13.1 percent to $20.77. Elsewhere in the sector, Pulte declined by 7.6 percent to $26.78 and KB Home fell 12.7 percent to $39.97.

Worries about consumer spending hit the retail sector. Wal-Mart declined by 5.9 percent during the week to $43.29 on a downgrade from “buy” to “neutral” from Merrill Lynch. Meanwhile, consumer electronics retailer Best Buy fell 13.9 percent to $45.02.