The Dow Jones ended a disappointing session with a loss of 114.91 points or 1.19% at 9502.80 while the Nasdaq slipped 22.26 points or 1.47% to 1496.86, denting the hopes of investors who wished for a second day of stock gains. Weak US retail sales data dented investor optimism, turning early futures gains into losses ahead of the exchanges opening. Adding to the gloomy tone were analyst downgrades of American Express, negative comments from an analyst about giant retailer Walmart and earnings warnings (again) from Lucent Technologies. Within blue chips only 7 stocks posted gains and the rest all losing ground. The S&P 500 ended down 11.70 points or 1.05% at 1009.56. //MarketNews