NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks dropped on Tuesday amid concern over Japan's nuclear disaster（灾难）, even though Fed said the economy recovery was "on a firmer footing."The major indices on Tuesday were lost more than 1 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 137.74 points, or 1.15 percent, to 11,855.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 14.52 points, or 1.12 percent, to 1,281.87. The Nasdaq declined 33.64 points, or 1.25 percent, to 2,667.33.
The Federal Reserve maintained its ultra-loose monetary policy（货币政策） on Tuesday, saying the economic recovery is on a firmer footing, and overall conditions in the labor market appear to be improving gradually.
The Fed also said that it would continue its 600-billion-dollar government bond-buying program as scheduled, and keep interest rates at very low levels for an extended period.
The remarks relieved investors' concern but the possible outcome of Japan disaster was still hovering around investors' mind.
After an explosion and a fire dramatically（戏剧性的） escalated Japan's disaster, dangerous levels of radiation began leaking from a broken nuclear plant Tuesday in Japan, investors worried that the nuclear crisis will have a negative impact on Japan's economy, the world's third largest. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average fell more than 1,000 points, or 10.55 percent on Tuesday.
As of stocks, Entergy Corp., an integrated energy company, lost 2.28 percent to 68.49 dollars in the morning trading but rebounded to 68.58 dollars in the afternoon, rising 0.14 percent.
General Electric Co, which has combined nuclear ventures with Hitachi Ltd. of Japan, fell 1.56 percent to 19.60 dollars.
Japanese shares traded in New York dropped as well. Toyota Motor Co, which said it would suspend production at all its Japanese car plants, dropped 4.23 percent then rebounded to 0.48 percent to 81 dollars.
With the situation in Japan worsened after radiation leak, spurring world-wide selloffs. U.S. crude oil price on Tuesday plunged near 4 percent after opening higher at 101.86 dollars a barrel, as a deepening nuclear crisis in Japan triggered a panic sell-off in the commodity markets.
Most investors flocked to put their money in safe haven items, such as U.S. Treasuries, pushing prices higher.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑) |