Soft Open: Markets were flat to slightly down at the start of trading.
Debt Woes: Traders continue to worry about debt in Dubai and elsewhere.
Texas Instruments: The chipmaker offers an improved fourth-quarter outlook.
The Lowdown
Markets fell slightly at the open today, following losses on Tuesday driven by fears about several countries' abilities to repay debt.
The Dow was down 12 points in morning trading, to 10,274. The S&P 500 was flat at 1,091, and the Nasdaq fell 7 points to 2,166.
The Dow had fallen 104 points on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 lost 11 points and the Nasdaq lost 16, as traders digested reports from rating agencies questioning the ability of countries, including the U.S. and Greece, to repay their debt. The Greek finance minister promised the country would not default on its debt, but shares of Greek banks still declined. Stocks in Dubai also continued to fall on debt worries.
Japan's third-quarter growth was revised downward, from 1.2% to 0.3%.
Chipmaker Texas Instruments (TXN) saw shares decline more than 2% in early trading despite upwardly revised guidance for the fourth quarter.
Corporate News
Texas Instruments (TXN) raised its guidance for the fourth quarter. The company says it now expects earnings of 47 to 51 cents per share, above the previous guidance of 42 to 50 cents, on revenue of $2.90 to $3.02 billion. REPORT.
