Mixed reports on jobless, inflation send stocks down

NEW YORK - Wall Street extended its slide Thursday as a pair of economic reports carried a conflicting message to investors: The growing economy is fueling a job market recovery, but also allowing inflation to rise.

Anxiety over Iraq and interest rates has kept many investors on the sidelines for the past few weeks, and the latest data did little to lure buyers. Analysts say that until the end of the month, when the Federal Reserve takes action on rates and sovereignty is restored in Iraq, there will be little to drive the market forward.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 2.06, or 0.02 percent, at 10,377.52.

The broader gauges also finished lower. The Nasdaq composite index slumped 14.56, or 0.7 percent, to 1,983.67, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index shed 1.51, or 0.1 percent, to 1,132.05.

The Labor Department issued two reports Thursday. The good news was that fewer people signed up for jobless benefits last week. The bad news was that wholesale prices rose in May at the fastest pace in 14 months.

The 0.8 percent rise in the Producer Price Index - which measures prices of goods before they reach store shelves - was largely due to rising costs of energy and food.

Excluding those factors, "core" wholesale prices rose by a more modest 0.3 percent in May, higher than the 0.2 percent economists were expecting. Investors saw the inflationary reading as something that might change the Fed's approach to rates.

Despite assurances from Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan that inflation is not a huge concern, investors have grown worried about how it might affect interest rates. The market expects a 0.25 percent rate hike when the central bank meets June 29-30, but more bearish investors fear it could be as high as 0.50 percent.

The market is also uneasy about the June 30 hand-over of political power in Iraq. A sabotage attack that halted the nation's oil production Wednesday and a pair of car bomb attacks Thursday raised further doubts about the likelihood of smooth transition.

Circuit-board maker Jabil Circuit Inc. sank $3.56, or 13 percent, to $24.49, after predicting earnings for the quarter and the year would come in below analyst expectations.

Motor home manufacturer Winnebago Industries Inc. added $4.85, or 15 percent, to $36.85.