Korean conflict, European debt weigh down stocks

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling in early trading after a skirmish between North and South Korea and amid ongoing worries about Europe’s debt troubles.

Investors were already uneasy today about Europe’s debt crisis after Ireland accepted a bailout this weekend. The concern is that Portugal and Spain may be the next countries to need help.

Before stock markets opened, the government reported that the U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the third quarter, up from an earlier estimate of 2 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 129, or 1.2 percent, to 11,049 in the opening minutes of trading.

The S&P 500 lost 14, also 1.2 percent, to 1,184. The Nasdaq composite index fell 27, or 1.1 percent, to 2,504.