Stocks ended lower after a volatile trading session on Wall Street Thursday, falling after the U.S. government confirmed a sharp economic downturn in the last quarter of 2007 and poor economic data from software company Oracle Corporation. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 100 points, and the technology sector suffered after Oracle posted worse-than-expected fiscal third-quarter sales and issued a cautious forecast. New data showing Google Incorporated's revenue from Internet users' clicks could slow also raised worries about tech stocks. Financial stocks fell too on Thursday, but an afternoon Federal Reserve auction of $75 billion in credit to investment banks saw demand at solid, but not desperate levels. According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 120.40, or 0.97 percent, to 12,302.46. Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 15.37, or 1.15 percent, to 1,325.76, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 43.53, or 1.87 percent, to 2,280.83. The New York Stock Exchange composite fell 64.38 to 8,817.17, while the American Stock Exchange composite rose 16.27 to close at 2,236.04. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 9.72, or 1.38 percent, to 692.39. The price of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil for April delivery rose $1.68 to $107.58.
