The markets slumped to close sharply lower with the Dow collapsing 279 points to 12,290 as investors digested weak job creation numbers and a slowdown in manufacturing activity. Nasdaq plummeted 66 points to 2769.
On the upside
Westinghouse Solar (Nasdaq: WEST) will unveil its first fully integrated Plug-and-Play AC module that costs 50% less to install than ordinary solar power systems at the Intersolar 2011 trade show next week in Munich, Germany.
Daktronics (Nasdaq: DAKT) reversed year ago losses to post a profit for the fourth quarter.
ZAGG (Nasdaq: ZAGG) presented at the 8th Annual Craig-Hallum Institutional Investor Conference today.
On the downside
Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR) chief executive Kevin Johnson said that the challenging economy has negatively impacted revenue and earnings.
Needham downgraded Sequans Communications (NYSE: SQNS) to a Hold rating.
Nokia's (NYSE: NOK) warning of an earnings shortfall weighed down shares of Blackberry maker Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM).
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 4 to 1 on the NYSE and by more than 9 to 2 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks plummeted 26 points to 821.
