Stocks Plunged, Dow Shed 318 Points

U.S. stocks slumped at the end of the week, including a dive of 318 points for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as traders caved in to worries about global stability and the health of various economies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 318.24 points, or 1.96%, to 15,879.11. The blue-chip index shed 3.5% over the week. The S&P 500 finished down 38.17 points, or 2.09%, to 1,790.29, falling 2.6% over the week. The Nasdaq Composite lost 90.70 points, or 2.15%, to 4,128.17, and shed 1.7% over the week.

The number of people enrolled in private health insurance under Obamacare has soared by more than one-third in recent weeks to around 3 million, according to government data released on Friday.

The unemployment rate for Santa Clara County continues to edge downward, just 5.7 percent in December, according to figures released Friday, Jan. 24 by the California Employment Development Department.

The frigid winter of 2014 is setting the price of natural gas on fire. Friday, the price in the futures market soared to $5.18 per 1,000 cubic feet, up 10 percent to the highest level in three and a half years.

Juniper Networks Inc. rallied Friday on reports that the hedge fund Jana Partners has increased its position in the network equipment company.