US stocks slump as Twitter soars

NEW YORK: US stocks on Thursday tumbled despite a successful launch of trading in Twitter stock and report on US economic growth that bested expectations by a wide margin.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 152.90 points (0.97 percent) to 15,593.98.

The broad-based SandP 500 gave up 23.34 points (1.32 percent) at 1,747.15, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index sank 74.61 points (1.90 percent) to 3,857.33.

The retreat came as Twitter shares vaulted more than 72 percent above the US$26 IPO price.

The shares soared as high as US$50 before settling the day at US$44.90, valuing the still-profitless social networking service at about US$24 billion.

The Commerce Department said the US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the third quarter, well above the 1.9 percent projected by analysts.

Analysts said the strong headline number masked weakness in consumer spending and other areas.

Nevertheless, "the market is looking at it as a strong number," said David Levy, portfolio manager at Kenjol Capital Management.

The market is wondering if the GDP report "pushes up the timetable" for the Federal Reserve to scale back its bond-buying program, Levy said.

Thursday's losses come ahead of Friday's monthly US jobs report. Expectations for jobs growth are low, but a surprisingly good report could persuade the market a Fed taper will come sooner, analysts said.

Netflix lost 2.6 percent despite announcing a deal with Walt Disney's Marvel to bring several new superhero shows to the streaming Internet TV service. Netflix shares have risen more than three-fold in 2013.

Dow component Disney fell 2.7 percent ahead of its fiscal fourth quarter results release. After the market closed the entertainment giant turned in a US$1.39 billion net profit, just beating forecasts.

Chip maker Qualcomm fell 3.8 percent after earnings of US$1.05 per share trailed expectations by three cents.

Upscale supermarket chain Whole Food Market slumped 11.2 percent after slashing its 2014 forecast due to lower sales growth. The company now forecasts earnings of US$1.65-US$1.69, down from the previous range of US$1.69-US$1.72.

Struggling department-store chain J.C. Penney jumped 5.6 percent after reporting that same store sales increased 0.9 percent in October. An upbeat statement from the company reported "significant progress" in addressing the company's challenges.

Drilling company Transocean shot up 7.0 percent after earnings of US$1.37 per share exceeded expectations by 30 cents. Revenues rose nearly 7 percen