Visa (V)
The days of carrying a huge wad of bills are pretty much over. Why? Because pretty much everyone who's selling anything takes Visa these days. But remember: You'll look like a jerk if you try to pay for your ballpark hot dog with plastic.
Stock Averages Down 2%-3%, in Lower End of Day's Range
03:29 PM Eastern Standard Time, 02/04/2010 (MidnightTrader) -- Stocks remain deeply in the red, drifting at the lower end of the range inside the final hour of the trading day.
Investors shunned stocks, keeping close tabs on European debt vulnerability. An unexpected rise in weekly jobless benefits claims also raised concerns a day ahead of a much-anticipated January jobs report due out early Friday.
At last check, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 230 points, or 2.2%, at 10,040, after ranging between 10,031 and 10,273.
The S&P 500 is down 29 points, or 2.7%, at 1,068, after ranging between 1,067 and 1,097.
The Nasdaq Composite is down 57 points, or 2.6%, at 2,134, after ranging between 2,133 and 2,178.
Mining and materials shares tumbled. Worries over the debt struggles of euro-zone countries Greece, Portugal and Spain fueled a flight from stocks to the safe-haven dollar, which hurt commodity prices denominated in the greenback, Reuters said.
Cisco (CSCO) was modestly firmer after its earnings beat and encouraging sales guidance but failed to give much lift to the broader market.
Weighing on the financial sector, MasterCard (MA) shed some 10% at one point after it posted quarterly earnings that fell short of Wall Street's estimates. That contradicted stronger-than-expected earnings from Visa (V) in Wednesday's after-hours.
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Current price per share
Today's gain: $-1.29 (-1.40%)
