By Nathaniel Popper, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from New York — So much for those stock market gains that were fattening up portfolios not so long ago.
Disappointing economic news drove stocks down again Friday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average below 12,000 for the first time since March 18.
Most of the profits U.S. stock investors have seen since the beginning of the year have been wiped out after six straight weeks of falling share prices.
Analysts blamed the latest tumble on China’s announcement that its trade surplus in May was smaller than expected, suggesting that global demand for Chinese goods has slowed. Investors were also disappointed by Britain’s announcement that its manufacturing sector was growing more slowly than expected. Continue reading Most 2011 stock market gains are gone