Markets Close Down - Blamed on a Slew of Reasons

Closing Market Commentary For 02-20-2013 Gary is off on assignment.  Will return tomorrow.  Here is the market close from Yahoo finance: The S&P 500 settled lower by 1.2% after spending the entire session in negative territory. Equities began the day on a lower note amid mixed housing data and hovered near their lows ahead of the Fed's minutes. Stocks then fell to fresh lows after the minutes indicated Committee members saw little change to the economic outlook. Along those lines, members-with the exception of Esther George-maintained their support for the continuation of highly accommodative policy. Homebuilders were under pressure after Toll Brothers (TOL 33.56, -3.34) reported its quarterly results this morning. The builder missed on earnings and revenue, but saw an increase to its backlog. In addition, the company raised its full-year 2013 gross margin guidance during its earnings call. Read more »