US shares mixed after reported chemical weapons find in Iraq 14 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AFP to My Yahoo!
NEW YORK (AFP) - US stocks were mixed in mid-morning trade, shedding early gains after a report that traces of sarin and mustard agent were found in Iraq (news - web sites), sparking concern that US-led forces could be subjected to chemical attack.
The Dow Jones industrials clung to a gain of 7.07 points (0.09 percent) at 8,247.45, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 10.20 points (0.73 percent) to 1,386.38 at 1615 GMT.
The Standard and Poor's 500 edged up a fractional 0.47 point to 876.92.
Stocks had opened higher on investor relief at a relatively benign March employment report and on news of the US-led forces' capture of Baghdad airport.
Michael Driscoll, head of listed trading at Bear Stearns, said there was a news report that "traces of mustard gas and sarin have been found in the Euphrates -- in other words, the Iraqis have chemical weapons and they're trying to dispose of them in the river. That just hit the newswires, and down we go."