Techs Lead Stocks' Tumble

Technology concerns led a second consecutive down session on Wall Street today. Stocks headed south as Cisco Systems reported slowing demand and Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke told Congress the economy will "slow noticeably" in the fourth quarter, and  continue to be hobbled by the housing crisis into the new year. The Dow was down 33.73 to 13,266.29, the Nasdaq 52.76 to 2,696.00, and the S&P 0.85 to 1,474.77.

Oracle, Apple, and even Google joined Cisco in the downturn, Bloomberg reports. Bernanke, in testimony before the Joint Economic Committee, also warned of the possibility of increased inflation. The one-two punch of murky prospects for financials and weak demand from consumers make things tough for the markets, say analysts. "That combination is hard to make any headway against," says one manager. (More stock market stories.)