Government Shutdown Sent Dow Below 15000

U.S. stocks closed lower Thursday as anxiety over the budget showdown grew on the third
day of a U.S. government shutdown. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 136.66 points, or
0.90 percent, at 14,996.48. The Standard & Poor’s 500 was down 15.21 points, or 0.90
percent, at 1,678.66. The Nasdaq Composite declined 40.68 points, or 1.07 percent, at
3,774.34.

President Barack Obama laid the blame for the government’s partial shutdown at the feet of
House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday, escalating a confrontation that is running the
risk of a potentially damaging clash over the nation’s borrowing authority.

Amazon.com Inc, which entered the gadget-making business with the Kindle e-reader, intends
to sell a set-top box that can stream Internet content to televisions in time for the holidays, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

U.S. retailer RadioShack Corp has received several offers for new financing, including one
from current lenders Bank of America Corp and Wells Fargo & Co, three sources familiar
with the matter told Reuters.

Schneider Electric IT Corp is recalling 15 million APC-branded surge protectors sold in
the United States after 13 reports of injuries and at least $1.7 million in fire damage,
the Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday.