Retail Fears Drive Stocks Down

Stocks took a modest slide at the open today, thanks to dismal data from retailers. The Dow fell 57 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P dropped 1.1% and 0.9% respectively, the Wall Street Journal reports. Most retailers, with the notable exception of Wal-Mart, posted bleak same-store sales for October, which, combined with Cisco slashing its current-quarter estimates, overshadowed any bump from European rate cuts.

The European Central Bank slashed its benchmark by half a point, to 3.75%, while the Bank of England lopped a whopping 1.5% off its rate, bringing it to 3%. But the moves didn’t appear to cheer European stocks, which also are trading lower. Oil, meanwhile, fell 69 cents to $64.61 a barrel. (More stock market stories.)