Credit fears sink Russell 2000

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the Dow fell today on news of rising mortgage defaults and credit market losses. The small-cap index dropped 19.96 points, or 2.64%, to 735.07. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) let go 237.44 points, or 1.83%, to 12,743.44.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has shed 6.65%, while the Dow has added 2.16% and the S&P 500 is down 0.66%.

Stocks posted big losses today following news that HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE: HBC) could face billions in losses and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is planning job cuts in a move to return to profitability.

London-based HSBC may have to absorb losses of up to $12 billion due to bets placed on securities backed by subprime mortgages, according to an analyst from Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). HSBC, which is Europe’s largest bank, may also need to rescue two of its funds by putting $45 billion of their assets onto its balance sheet.

More bad news came from Citigroup, which announced that it is looking for ways to improve efficiency and cut costs in order to return to profitability after mortgage writedowns led it to report a loss in its most recent quarter

Although Citigroup, the largest U.S. bank, did not say how many of its over 300,000 employees will be getting pink slips, a news report from business news channel CNBC put the figure at between 17,000 and 45,000.

The fact that two of the world’s largest banks are in the crosshairs of the fallout from the subprime mortgage meltdown scared investors and put stocks on the downward trajectory.

The Russell 2000 opened in positive territory but reversed course within an hour after the start of trading, while the Dow stayed on both sides of the flat line until about 1 p.m. ET, when the bears established their dominance.

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