Stocks Open Lower On Euro-Zone Downgrade Jitters

[Stocks-to-Watch]

Stocks opened lower on Friday, led by J.P. Morgan‘s disappointing fourth quarter earnings and word that Standard & Poor’s is set to downgrade the credit ratings of a number of European governments.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, the ratings agency could make the*announcement*as early as today; although it declined to comment on the situation, insiders are reporting that notice is already circulating in the Euro zone. Last month, *S&P put 15 countries on watch for a potential downgrade.

The Dow and S&P 500 were both off 0.8% just after the start of trading, with the Nasdaq off 0.7%.



Original Article Source by Barrons.com