Thursday August 30 11:20 AM ET

Stocks Slump, Dow Below 10,000

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell further late morning trading on Thursday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average below the psychologically important 10,000 mark for the first time since
mid-April.

Other major market indices also stumbling to lows unseen since April, weighed down by the technology sector as gloomy forecasts from the likes of network computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. reignited investors' jitters about corporate profits.

The Dow was down 92.09 points, or 0.91 percent, at 9,998.81 -- its lowest level since April 12 on an intraday basis. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 11.26 points, or 0.98 percent, at 1,137.30, and the technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 47.22 points, or 2.56 percent, at 1,795.95.

``There is so little going on, and that is part of the problem,'' said Ned Collins, executive vice president, head of U.S. equity trading at Daiwa Securities Inc. ``I just don't see anything would cause a turn around between now and tomorrow.''

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