STOCKS NEWS US-Markets continue to slide on economic concerns

 Stocks on the move [HOT-RTRS] Real-Time Equity news [E U]

 U.S. stock market report [.N]
1408 ET 01Dec2008-Markets continue to slide on economic
concerns
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 Major U.S. markets treaded lower on Monday, hurt as news
pointed to a deepening economic crisis and investors fretted a
weak holiday spending season. Financial services companies and
retailers were among the hardest-hit on Monday.
[ID:nN01514438]

 The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 5.1 percent to
8,382.54 while the S&P 500 .SPX slid 6 percent to 842.45 and
the Nasdaq .IXIC tumbled 6.2 percent to 1,440.47.

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1349 ET 01Dec2008-JPM sees 2009 problems in commercial real
estate
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 JPMorgan Monday said that commercial real estate credit
problems would intensify in 2009, following several months
where commercial real estate fundamentals began to rapidly
signal widespread weakness.

 "As we move through 2009, the single most important
determinant of how commercial mortgage-backed securities credit
performs will be the speed with which global credit
fundamentals continue to deteriorate," the firm wrote.

 The firm said that while any weakness would be detrimental,
"a faster-than-expected rate of deterioration would likely
catch many investors off-guard, feed into the risk aversion,
and delay any hope for a recovery in cash and synthetic spreads
across the capital structure."

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1340 ET 01Dec2008-Value of Dow Chemical JV cut by 8 percent
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 The value of a planned joint venture between Dow Chemical
(DOW.N) and Kuwait Petroleum Corp has been cut by more than 8
percent in light of a sharp slowdown in global demand.

 The venture, K-Dow Petrochemicals, was designed to make
chemicals used in a variety of products. The value was cut to
$17.4 billion from $19 billion. [ID: nL1460639]

 Dow Chemical shares were flat, trading up 8 cents at
$18.63.

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1328 ET 01Dec2008-NBER: U.S. entered recession in December
2007
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 According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the
U.S. economy slipped into recession in December 2007. The
members of the NBER's business cycle dating committee Friday
decided that the 73-month economic expansion had ended.
[ID:nWAT010588]

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1205 ET 01Dec2008-Citigroup down, to buy highway division
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 Shares of Citigroup (C.N) tumbled on Monday after Sacyr
Vallenhermoso said it would sell its highway business to a
private equity fund controlled by the troubled bank for $10.22
billion. The sale will transfer 5.013 billion euro of debt to
Citigroup Infrastructure Investors. [ID:nL1239320]

 The stock, a Dow component, shed 12 percent to $7.30.

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1201 ET 01Dec2008-Meat co's down after Pilgrim files for
bankruptcy
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 Shares of meat companies fell on Monday after Pilgrim's
Price PPC.N filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, claiming $3.75
billion in assets and $2.72 billion in debts as of Sept. 27.
[ID:nWEN1142]

 Pilgrim's Pride shares last traded at 63 cents, down 45
percent from their opening price of $1.15. Among other meat
companies, Smithfield Foods (SFD.N) slid 4.6 percent to $6.50
and Tyson Foods (TSN.N) was off 3 percent to $6.52.

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1154 ET-01Dec2008 Players snap up Ford calls as automaker
weighs Volvo sale
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 Call options on Ford Motor Co (F.N) picked up steam for the
second straight trading session. The automaker's shares rose
2.23 percent to $2.75 after hitting a high of $3 on news that
Ford was reviewing options for Volvo and could sell the luxury
Swedish car brand. On Friday, the Dec $2.50 and Jan $3 Ford
call options saw an uptick in activity. On Monday morning,
another 51,000 Ford calls have traded vs. 6,403 puts, double
the normal combined daily volume, according to Trade Alert.
Investors have been snapping up Dec $3 and Dec $4 calls, said
WhatsTrading.com strategist Frederic Ruffy. Ford and the other
two Detroit automakers face a deadline to submit stepped-up
restructuring plans to Congress in an effort to win support for
a $25 billion rescue plan.

Reuters Messaging: doris.frankel.reuters.com@reuters.net
1142 ET 01Dec2008-Firm sees another quarter of volatility
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 DA Davidson Monday said that market would remain "very
volatile" for at least another quarter, or until investors see
positive results from a variety of moves made by the Federal
Reserve and the U.S. Treasury to stabilize the markets. The
firm said that with market indices now 10 percent above the
cyclical lows last week, "many investors may feel more
confident that the worst is over for the decline in stock
prices and begin to seek to selectively bargain hunt among
wonderful companies now trading at 10-year or more valuation
lows."

 DA Davidson cautioned against being too optimistic, saying
that economic news "likely will get much worse in coming months
than we are reading about today."

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net