Stock Market Update - Tue Aug 21 15:00:01 EDT 2007

[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 has now joined the Dow below the flat line as investors continue to consolidate intraday gains. A 2.0% decline in the Energy sector, which now boasts six of today's 10 worst performing S&P industry groups, remains the biggest obstacle for an index now poised to close lower for a fifth time in seven tries.

A recent reversal in the Industrial sector, as the bulk of transportation stocks fail to take advantage of a 2.3% drop in oil prices, is also acting as a headwind. The gain in the heavily-weighted Financial sector now stands at a paltry 0.2%. Not even the defensive-oriented Health Care and Consumer Staples sectors have been able to garner much attention from buyers as they too have slipped into the red and remove some influential leadership.

NYSE Adv/Dec 1967/1322...Nasdaq Adv/Dec 1532/1476