stocks fall for second day on financial, economic concerns

Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:04:13 -0400
U.S. stocks fall for second day on financial, economic concerns

Stocks fall for a second session on worries about financial firms, while
concerns about the economy also were fueled by weak housing data, rising
wholesale prices and weak results from several retailers.

Lehman shares fall 13% after write-downs pegged at $4 bln

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s write-downs in the third quarter could
hit $4 billion as the company continues to wrestle with its exposure to
troubled mortgage assets, according to J.P. Morgan analysts.

Economic Report: Single-family housing permits fall to 26-year low in
July

U.S. home builders sharply reduce the number of new homes started in
July and drop the number of new single-family permits to the lowest
level in 26 years.

Housing downturn hurts Home Depot's profit

Home Depot, the world's largest home-improvement retailer, sticks to its
guidance for the year, even as second-quarter profit falls 24%.